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Chapter Text

              Timothy Drake-Wayne expertly navigated the busy Gotham streets while balancing a cellphone on one shoulder, a coffee in one hand, and tons of files in the other.  “Yes.  Yes, that’s right,” he said into the phone as he finally made it to a sidewalk, narrowly avoiding a collision with a cyclist.  “The day World War II ended.”  He stopped at the crowded crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.  “No, I’m not a private investigator.  I’m a fact-checker/writer for a puff piece magazine.  This week, our readers want to know the story behind that infamous kiss,” Tim said, feigning cheeriness, masking the annoyance in his voice. “Was it staged or spontaneous?” The light changed and people began to cross.  “Really?” Tim asked, his steps stuttering as relief and shock filled his body.  “I have called so many Paul Bales.  I never thought I’d find you,” Tim continued to walk as he realized he was the only one standing in the middle of the cross walk.  “Thank you so much for your time,” Tim said.  “I hope you have a good rest of your day.  Okay.  Thank you.”  Tim hung up and mentally danced for joy.  He’d got what he needed.  Now, off to his editor.

              “For real?” Lois Lane looked up at Tim in disbelief.  “This is real?”

“Verified it myself,” Tim answered, sitting across from his boss.

“Wow,” Lois sat back in her chair, releasing a chuckle.  “I was not expecting that.”

“Neither was I,” Tim agreed.  “But I guess true love does exist.”

“Well, you should know,” Lois Lane smiled, “you’re the one who’s engaged to one of Gotham’s youngest up-and-coming chefs.”  Tim blushed as Lois continued.  “And…I guess this marks your last day working for me.”

“Yep.”

“Gosh, I wish I could keep you,” she beamed.  “You are a fantastic writer.  Are you sure Wayne Enterprises is where you want to be?”

“Yes,” Tim answered with finality.  As much as he enjoyed writing, writing puff pieces in glorified tabloids was not something he wanted to be known for.  “That was the deal,” he smiled, “Bruce said I had to go out into the world, discover my passions, blah blah blah.  Only then would he allow me back to work under him.”

“I have met many 24-year-olds in my day,” Lois said, “hell, I was one.  I don’t think I’ve ever met a young adult who loves working in the corporate world as much as you do.”

Tim didn’t say anything.  With his genius level intellect, he had completed his doctorate at 14 and began working for Bruce at 16.  Not the most exciting of teen years, but Tim had fun.  Then Bruce “fired him” – told him he needed to see the world, hang out with young people his own age.  He banned Tim from entering a Wayne Enterprise Office for at least 5 years.  Tim was so thankful those 5 years were finally up.  Sure, he loved adventure and writing and journalism; but at the end of the day, he liked being in a room surrounded by old people who had to report to him.  The power that he wielded over these 40/50-somethings was exhilarating.  Knowing most of the board hated him for it only served to make work more entertaining.  “Well,” Tim said, standing to his feet, “it’s been a privilege.”

“It most certainly has, Mr. Drake,” Lois gave him a firm handshake, “I and every female in this building will miss you.  That Cassie is a lucky girl.”  Tim smiled stiffly.  He didn’t know who the lucky one was in their relationship.  “Have fun on your pre-honeymoon.  I still don’t understand it.”

“Neither do I,” Tim replied with a smile, “but it’s what she wants, so…thank you for everything Ms. Lane.”

Lois smiled as she watched the young man leave her office.  Gosh, she was going to miss seeing that handsome face…and that cute butt.

Chapter Text

              Tim strolled out of the building with a big smile on his face, happy to be finished with that job. He couldn’t wait to return to his job at Wayne Enterprise.

Placing the strap of his satchel over his shoulder, he began the long walk to his fiancée’s place of work.  Sure, he could have taken his Lambo; but it was such a beautiful day out.  It would be a shame to let this sunshine go to waste.

Thirty minutes later, he entered his fiancée’s restaurant – a restaurant that was still undergoing renovations.  Carefully maneuvering around the working men, doing his best to not interrupt them, Tim did a quick scan of the place.   The restaurant was named The Amazonian after the ancient fighters of Themyscira, with a Greek-Italian cuisine.  Grecian and Themyscarian art decorated the walls.  Sculptures and vases depicting Greek mythology were scattered everywhere.  Petroglyphs even decorated the ceiling.  Cassie had gone all out on the Amazonian-themed restaurant.  With its bright lighting, light colors, and ambiance, one could easily forget that this was a restaurant in Gotham City.

Glancing briefly at the countertops, tables, and chairs, Tim eventually made his way to the kitchen where he was immediately taken aback upon entering.  There were noodles draped…everywhere.  “Uh…” he spoke unsurely.  “Cass!” he called out. 

“Hmm?” Cassie replied sweetly, her head appearing from behind a curtain of noodles. 

“Hey,” Tim laughed.

“No, no, wait,” Cassie said, disappearing behind the noodles.  “Close your eyes,” she demanded.

“What?” Tim asked.

“Close your eyes and open your mouth,” Cassie ordered.

“Okay,” Tim chuckled, doing as he was told.

“Ready?” he heard her ask. “Are you ready?”

“Mmhmm,” he answered.  He then felt noodles being piled onto his tongue.  “Now chew,” she said.  Tim opened his eyes and did just that.  Cassie was staring at him expectantly with her wide blue eyes and blonde hair pulled into a ponytail.  Standing at 5’11” to his 6’3”, Cassie was built like a brick house.  Those MMA classes did wonders for her toned arms, legs, and belly.  Actually, a martial art class was where the two met 3 years ago.  She had him pinned in under 10 seconds.  Also, as a descendant of Themyscira, Cassie was a force to be reckoned with.  They were known for their strong, athletic, brick-house women.  “So?” Cassie stared at him expectantly.

“It’s good,” Tim smiled nicely.

“Just good?” Cassie’s expression turned drastic as one eye twitched in horror. 

“Great!” Tim quickly amended his answer.  Cassie was a great cook.  Her skills came close to almost rivaling Alfred’s.  But Tim had never been much of a foodie.  In his mind, food was food.  There was no point in losing one’s mind over it.  (He was smart enough to keep that opinion to himself.) To him, this particular noodle didn’t taste any different from any other noodle he’d tasted.  Maybe all that caffeinated coffee he chugged in his teen years had ruined his taste buds.  “I know, right?” Cassie asked in excitement, smiling brightly at Tim’s changed answer.  Tim only nodded.  His inner dialogue had taken him away from whatever she was saying.  “I have singlehandedly reinvented the noodle.”

“Really?” Tim smiled at his fiancée’s excitement.  “I guess it’s like, reinventing the wheel.”

“What?” Cassie raised an eyebrow.  “Never mind,” she waved him away.  “Anyway, what I did-“

“Cassie,” Tim interrupted her.  “I hate to interrupt you, but we leave for Italia in 6 hours, and I’m pretty sure you haven’t packed.”

“You’re right,” she gasped.  “I haven’t packed!”  Tim could only smile as she began cleaning up her workspace while chattering a million miles an hour.  “I’m so excited,” Cassie said before leaping into his arms.  Tim spun her around as she yelled excitedly, “This is going to be the best pre-honeymoon ever!”

              Tim walked through one of Italia’s many markets, stopping to take in the sites here and there as he walked back to the villa where he and his fiancée were staying.  Walking up the cobbled street, he momentarily paused to look at his fiancée who was standing on the balcony in deep conversation.  Take away the cellphone and modern clothes, and Cassie shone like Grecian royalty with her golden hair.  She was beyond gorgeous, and his heart raced just a bit more as he watched her talking on the phone, gesturing with her hands.  Tim immediately wondered if this is what Romeo felt when he saw Juliet?  No, he thought, Romeo was heads over heels, willing-to-commit-suicide in love with Juliet.  He and Cassie were like...um…Tim slightly frowned.  They were getting married so he should feel…something.  “Oh, Tim!” Cassie waved when she noticed him, immediately getting his attention, “Tim!  Wherefore art thou my sweet Tim?”  Tim merely rolled his eyes.

“It’s the other way around, Cass!” he called back.

“I know,” she smiled brightly.  “Hold on.  I’ll be right down.” Tim only nodded, leaning against his Porsche as he waited for her. 

Moments later, Cassie came bounding down the steps, all smiles.  “I love Italia!” she shouted as she ran and jumped into his arms. “I love this place so much!” she kissed him.  Tim smiled before putting her down.  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.  As a matter of fact, I just saw something that I think you’d –“

“You’d know what I’d really, really love?” Cassie interrupted him.  “I’d love a private tour with each of my vendors at a vineyard.”

“Hmm?” Tim asked, not understanding.

“My sister, Donna, was able to arrange a meeting with all of my suppliers,” Cassie beamed brightly.  “At the most beautiful vineyard in all of Veneto.”

“Oh,” Tim said, a little downcast.

“What?” Cassie asked as she walked to the passenger’s side of the vehicle.  “What’s wrong?”

“Cassie,” Tim spoke calmly, “this is supposed to be-“

“What?” Cassie interrupted him again, her baby blue eyes growing round as she stared desperately at him.  “The oldest most beautiful vineyard in all of Veneto,” Cassie said as she grabbed Tim’s hands.  “Please?” she pouted, “just for today.”  Cassie’s hands crept up his chest, “And then, maybe, when we get back…”

“Fine,” Tim rolled his eyes.

“Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!” Cassie squealed, kissing his cheeks.  “You’re awesome!” she jumped into the passenger side of the Porsche.

“Right,” Tim muttered bitterly before climbing into his car, “I’m awesome.”

The couple drove in silence with Cassie asking about Wayne Enterprises here and there, and Tim asking about her restaurant – a conversation that was beginning to sound more and more redundant and stagnant to Tim’s ears. This trip was bringing up a lot of weird thoughts and feelings he hadn’t had in America.  It was quite bothersome.  Something to think about at a later date.

Finally, they reached the vineyard where a blue-eyed, black-haired, muscular man greeted Cassie and Tim before chattering away to Cassie in Italian. Tim followed silently behind the two as they walked and talked about grapes, wine, and things that Tim really tried to be interested in.  Every now and then Cassie would turn to face him, smile at him, and translate something their tour guide said.  Tim didn’t understand Cassie’s incessant need to translate what the guide was saying. He understood Italian rather well.  Didn’t Cassie know that?  Why didn’t she know that?  Had he never told her?  Odd, he thought but shrugged it off.

Next was a wine-tasting.  As exciting an experience as it was, Tim couldn’t help but wonder if Cassie was oohing and aahing over the wine or over their handsome tour guide.  At one point, Tim even took a picture of Cassie with her arms wrapped around the tour guide.  Even odder, Tim didn’t care.  He felt nothing.  Shouldn’t he feel a bit envious or something?  His fiancée was flirting with another man in front of him, and Tim felt…nothing.  At home, people always assumed who was a robot with very few feelings.  Tim usually thought nothing of it.  But his fiancée was blatantly flirting with the tour guide in front of him, and it didn’t bother him in the slightest. He was beginning to hate this place.  The quiet countryside was giving him too much time to consider things noisy Gotham never did.  Another thought he put on the backburner.

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving from one place to another trying wine and cheeses and other foods Tim couldn’t care less about.  He couldn’t even pretend to care.  Also, how could so many cheeses exist in just one town?  That had to be some type of record.

              Five hours later, they were finally finished.  Tim released a heavy sigh as he sat behind the wheel of his car, happy to finally be returning to the villa while Cassie jabbered away animatedly. “Omigosh!” Cassie exclaimed as a text came through on her phone, “there’s an incredible forest 120 kilometers away where the most delicious truffles are-“

“What!” Tim looked over at his fiancée in horror.

“Oh, babe,” Cassie smiled, “in miles it’s-“

“I know what it is in miles, Cassie?  But aren’t you tired?”

“No,” she answered honestly.  “If anything, I’m more excited than ever.”

“To look at a mushroom?”

Cassie gasped as her face paled.  “Excuse you?” she demanded.

“I don’t mean mushroom-“

“It is not a mushroom,” Cassie corrected him, deeply offended.  “It is a truffle, a Tartufo, the most vivid-“

“Okay, okay, okay, I get it,” Tim stopped her.  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.  Truffle.”

“I don’t understand, Tim. Aren’t you having a good time?” Cassie asked.

“I was,” Tim answered honestly, “for the first hour. But now I just want to relax or sleep.”

“Okay,” Cassie sighed heavily in resignation, “I understand.  We can go.  Just…don’t call it a mushroom,” she pouted.

“Fine,” Tim laughed as he put his car into gear and began driving.  After a few minutes of heavy silence, he said, “You know what?  It’s getting kind of late now.  How about you go look at the truffles tomorrow?  And I’ll do my thing.”

“You mean it?” Cassie turned to him excitedly. 

“Sure,” Tim shrugged, “you can even take the Porsche.”  Cassie squealed with glee. “Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!” she said again.  “Woo!  A win-win for everyone.”

              Tim awoke the next morning to Cassie long gone with a note on her pillow wishing him a good morning and a goodbye.  After reading it, Tim showered, had breakfast, and decided to see the sights.  He planned to go to Venice, but before he could leave, his phone rang.  Richard.  “Isn’t it like…4 in the morning there?” Tim greeted.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Tim could hear the smirk in Richard’s voice.

“Sorry,” Tim apologized.

“What’s got you so grumpy?” Richard asked.  Tim thought about telling Richard about his feelings or lack of feelings for Cassie but decided against it.  For all he knew, it was all in his head.  “Again,” Tim said, “isn’t it 4 a.m. in Gotham?  I thought you were on vacation this week.”

“I am, but Barbara wanted to ask you something.”

“And she remembered at 4 in the morning?” Tim asked.

“Look, I don’t know how a female’s brain works.  She woke me up and told me to call you.  And when your pregnant wife wakes you up and tells you to do something, you do it.”

“What’s the favor?” Tim smiled. He waited patiently as he heard Barbara’s voice in the background.  “Okay,” Richard said, “she wants you to take a picture of the balcony at Juliet’s House.”

“Eww,” Tim groaned, “I don’t want to go there.  Barbara does know that Romeo and Juliet did not exist, right?”

“It was very loosely based on a true story!” Tim heard Barbara scream in the background.

“Barbara wants me to tell you-“

“I heard her, Richard,” Tim almost snapped.  “Fine,” he relented.  “I don’t want to do it, but I like Barbara.   And I salute her for putting up with you.”

“Thank you, Timmy!” Barbara shouted.

“Thanks, Tim,” Richard said.

“Bye,” Tim said before hanging up the phone.  Gosh, the things he did for family.  “I guess Venice and Padua can wait,” Tim muttered before leaving his room.  This day was going to suck.

Chapter Text

              Tim began his tedious journey to Casa di Giuletta, mentally grumbling the entire way there.  The things he did for family, he thought with a shake of his head as he navigated the streets that were arguably busier than Gotham. 

Upon reaching his destination, he paused, taking in the sight before him.  Several women were exiting a stone archway, walking past him while dabbing their teary eyes.  More women followed; these women were outright sobbing.  A group of boys standing nearby – tourists – seemed to be mocking the whole entire thing.  Tim rolled his eyes at the display of immaturity as he continued into the inner courtyard.  At least 50 women were scattered throughout the courtyard.  Some were standing at the stone wall, others sat in various areas, scribbling furiously in their notebooks and journals.  A couple of teenage girls were posing with a statute of Juliet as a young actress stood on a balcony, reciting Juliet’s most famous monologue.

Tim pulled out his expensive camera, preparing to take photos when he froze as he noticed something else going on.  People were sticking paper…to the wall?  O-okay.  That was odd, very peculiar, and Tim’s interest was now piqued.  He decided to stay a while.  Observe.  Take notes.  He’d only stay for a few minutes.

              A few minutes turned into well over 8 hours, not that Tim noticed.  He was in full journalist mode now, taking notes and pictures, watching the young and old write and stick notes to the wall below Juliet’s balcony.

It wasn’t until Tim noticed his shadow on the cobblestones that he looked up.  His eyes widened when he realized not only was he the only one in the courtyard, but the sun was also beginning its descent.  Packing his belongings, Tim was ready to call it a day when a lone, dark-haired woman with a medium-sized basket began collecting the letters - taking each one off the wall gently and placing them in her basket.  Tim watched with interest as she left the tourist attraction with a basket filled with letters.  Tim immediately jumped to his feet and decided to follow her, not even thinking twice.

He followed her across the street to a restaurant, where the dark-haired woman greeted two older women.  The three quickly went aside.  Tim quickly followed.  He followed them to the back of the restaurant, up the stairs, and into a room that resembled a dining/family room where another older woman sat in waiting.  The three women joined her at the table.  They all began taking letters out of the basket and sorting them while chatting away, unaware of Tim’s presence. 

After a couple of minutes watching from the doorway, Tim decided to make himself known.  He knocked against the open doorframe.  Four pair of eyes immediately turned to him and stared.  “Um…” Tim felt his face heat up as he continued.  “Scusatemi per il disturbo,” he began in an uncharacteristically shy way, “C’è qualcuno che parla inglese per favore?”  He really hoped he didn’t offend anyone.  His Italian was a bit rusty.  Turns out, there was no need for worry.  The woman he was following – her eyes lit up and huge smile formed on her face.  “Sì!” she answered brightly, “Finalmente!  We’ve been expecting you for two weeks now,” she spoke with a melodic accent.  “Though,” she paused, looking at Tim up and down, “I asked for a female, but you will do.”  Tim’s brows furrowed in confusion.  “You are the translator from the embassy, are you not?”

“I am not,” Tim answered, “my name is Tim.  I was just at Juliet’s House, and I saw you take the letters.  I was curious.”  The dark-haired female studied him skeptically before her eyes landed on the journal in camera bag.  “Oh,” her tense face relaxed.  “You write, no?  Reporter?”

“Um,” Tim looked down at his notebook.  “Not a reporter.  Journalist.”  It wasn’t exactly a lie.  She smiled at him.  “Vieni,” she said, making a “come here” motion with her hand.  Tim approached her, stopping to stare at the table where the other three ladies had resumed their sorting.  There were hundreds of letters on the table.  “We call ourselves the Secretaries of Juliet.”

“You answer the letters,” Tim said as understanding dawned on him.  “All of them?” he asked.

“We try,” one of the women answered.  Tim looked back at the table.  “No way,” he muttered.

“This is Alessandra,” the woman Tim followed motioned to the eldest woman at the table.  “She has been married 51 years to the same men.  She handles husband problems.”

“Husbands are like wine,” Alessandra smiled, “they take long time to mature.”

“This is Carla.”  A woman with frazzled, red hair was pointed out.  “She is a nurse.  She handles illness and loss.”  Carla gave Tim a tentative smile.  She looked exhausted and worn down and in desperate need of a break.  “This is Enrichetta.”  A woman with big spectacles looked up and smiled at the sound of her name.  “She has 12 children, 29 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.”  Tim mentally swore.  Shouldn’t she be 100 years’ old?  The woman in front of him looked no older than 65.  “She answers whatever she wants.  And I am Isabella,” the woman Tim followed finally introduced herself.  “I answer the ones we can barely read – the sad ones stained with tears of hard breakups and heartaches.” Oh, Tim thought.  “Wow,” he said in amazement.  Things like this didn’t usually interest him.  (Contrary to popular belief, Tim was not a romantic.  He was just polite.)  “We answer each one,” Isabella sighed.

Before Tim could reply, a loud voice from downstairs could be heard, yelling at Isabella in Italian.  “It is my mamma.  Would you like to stay for dinner?” she asked just as her mother appeared with a big pot of…something.

“Grazie,” Tim answered, “but no.  I cannot.  I need to get back to my fiancé,” Tim added quickly so as not to offend the mother.  Upon hearing the word fiancé, the women in the room squealed with glee.  “Congratulazioni!” they exclaimed excitedly.  “Brava!”

“Here,” the mother quickly disappeared, reappearing moments later, handing Tim a brown paper bag.  “Cannoli per te e il tua fidanzata.”

“Grazie,” Tim answered with a smile.  “Arrivederci!”

“Ciao!” “Buona serata!”  “Vai piano!” the woman shouted as Tim walked out the door.

Tim left the restaurant, humming a tune, a pep in his step, smiling his first real smile this entire trip.

Chapter Text

              “Hey,” Cassie greeted Tim as soon as he set foot into the bedroom.  She was sprawled out on the bed with notebooks, laptops, and cookbooks in front of her.  “How was it?  Anything exciting happen?  I had a great time.”

“It was interesting,” Tim said as he placed his stuff on a table.  Seconds after he set the brown paper bag down, Cassie immediately began sniffing the air.  “Tell me about it,” she said as she sniffed the air.

“Well,” Tim began as Cassie crawled to the foot of the bed, following her nose, “I met the secretaries of Juliet.”

“Juliet?” Cassie asked, sniffing, her eyes falling to the paper bag on the table.  “Like the chick from Shakespeare?”

“Yep.  So, there are these women who call themselves the secretaries of Juliet,” Tim began as his fiancée slowly opened the bag, nodding and mhmm-ing here and there.  “Heartbroken people write letters and leave them on this wall- “Tim continued, trying to get Cassie’s attention.

“Uh-huh,” Cassie interrupted as she pulled out a cannolo and took a big bite of it.  Her eyes grew big and round as she tasted the treat.

“And these women write responses to the letters that have return addresses,” Tim continued.  “So- “

“Do you know what this is?” Cassie interrupted Tim with her mouth full. 

“Uh…yes,” Tim answered, “it’s a cannolo, the singular form of the word cannoli.”

“No!” Cassie exclaimed.  “This…is incredible!  You have to tell me – where’d you get this?”

“O-kay.”

              The next day, Tim found himself at the restaurant of the Secretaries of Juliet.  He sat in the dining room listening as Cassie learned from the head chef – Isabel’s mother.  Last night, after promising to take her to the source of the cannoli, Cassie had gone to work immediately, prepping for today.  Tim wasn’t sure exactly what Cassie was doing, all he knew was that he went to bed alone and woke up with Cassie excitedly shaking him awake.  The sound of a chair scraping brought him back to reality.  Isabel sat across from him before handing him a steaming cup of coffee.  “For you,” she smiled kindly.

“Oh, wow, thank you,” Tim answered.

“Your Cassie is very passionate about cooking,” Isabel said.

“Yeah, she loves it,” Tim answered as they listened to Isabel’s mother began scold Cassie in Italian.  “I think she loves it more than she loves me,” Tim joked.  Isabel studied him intently.  “So, how long have you two been together?” Isabel asked curiously.

“Um…we’ve been engaged for a little over 2 years, but we dated 2 years prior.”

“Wow,” Isabel said.  “When is the wedding?”

“Uh, we’ve had to change dates about 3 times.  Cassie is one of the youngest up and coming chefs in Gotham.  She’ll be opening her own restaurant in 6 months.”  Isabel nodded, clearly impressed.  “We probably won’t get married until next year.”

“Hopefully,” Isabel smiled.  Tim smiled back before drinking his coffee.  “That woman is incredible!” Cassie screeched, bouncing up to the two.  Isabel laughed as she stood to her feet, giving the couple privacy.  “She’s so amazing!” Cassie continued to gush.  “I’m in love!  I’m in love!”  Tim raised an eyebrow at her.  “I mean,” Cassie stammered, “I love you, too, of course.”

“Of course,” Tim smirked.

“That goes without saying,” Cassie said, “but – I know we had plans later today, and if you say ‘no’, I will totally understand.  But she has offered to teach me some of her secrets today,” Cassie’s eyes widened in excitement and hopefulness.

“Now?”

“Yes, now.  A 300-year-old risotto recipe or something like that; but if you want to go see the…um…the arche thing – oh, what was it?”

“Arco dei Gavi,” Tim answered.

“Yeah, that,” Cassie said, “we can go, and I will tell her no.”

“Well,” Tim began.

“If you want to learn,” Isabel’s mother called out to Cassie from the kitchen, “you have to watch!”

“I’m coming,” Cassie called back.  “Thank you so much, babe, for understanding.”  She placed a quick kiss on Tim’s forehead before running back to the kitchen.  Tim remained standing, not knowing what to make of the situation.

Isabel, who had been quietly watching the entire exchange, quietly walked up to Tim. “Would you like to help me, Tim?”  In her was arm was a basket.  “I have to mail the replies this morning.  And then I go back to the wall.  You should see how many letters we get overnight.”

“Um,” Tim looked at Cassie who was completely engrossed in her activity.  “Sure.  Why not?  Lead the way.”

After walking in silence for a few minutes, they stopped in front of a few mailboxes.  Tim helped Isabel place the letters inside as gently as possible.  “Forgive my prying,” Isabel began, “but you and your Cassie do not seem to be a normal couple.”

“A normal couple?” Tim repeated.

“Like, in love.  You are fond of each other, yes?  But it seems more friendly.”  Tim smiled as they emptied the basket.  “We are best friends,” he answered.

“But do you love each other?”

“Of course, we do,” Tim answered, “why else would we be getting married?”  Isabel looked at him with a smile before they walked back to Juliet’s Wall.

Tim’s eyes widened in shock upon reaching the wall.  There had to be at least 200 letters and counting stuck to the wall!   And it wasn’t even 8 a.m.  “I know,” Isabel chuckled when she saw Tim’s expression.  “Lots of lonely hearts and broken hearts in the world.”

“And they all come here,” Tim muttered as he began helping Isabel pull letters off the wall.  “Oops,” Tim said as a brick fell to the ground with a letter he pulled. “Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly.

“It is very old,” Isabel laughed in response.  Tim bent down to pick up the brick when something caught his eye.  A letter was shoved into the space the brick had been.  Tim reached in and carefully pulled it out, mindful not to tear it.  Who knew how old the letter was?  “Wow,” Isabel stood behind Tim, eyeing the letter curiously.

“How long do you think it’s been back there?” Tim asked.

“Good question.”  Turning it over in his hands, Tim inspected the folded stationary, gently opening it just so.  “It’s written in English,” he said, “and dated 1967.”  Tim showed it to her.  “Come on,” she said excitedly, “we must show the others.”

“…I promised I’d meet Leonardo to run away together,” Tim read, “because our parents don’t approve.  Instead, I left him waiting for me, below our tree.  Waiting and wondering where I was.  I’m in Verona, now.  I return to Azarath in the morning, and I am so afraid.  Please, Juliet, tell me what I should do.  My heart is breaking, and I have no one else to turn to.  Love, Azar.”

“Wow,” Alessandra sighed with a hand to her chest.

“And it’s been there all these years?” Carla asked.

“Tim found it in the crevice,” Isabel answered.

“Maybe she come back to find her one true love,” Alessandra offered with a dreamy smile on her wrinkle-free face.

“Sì!” Enrichetta agreed, “and they had 10 children and they still make passionate love, every night.”  Tim smiled.  “You mean until he got bald and fat and made her do all the work,” Carla added.

“Carla!!!” the three women exclaimed with eye rolls.

“Or,” Alessandra suggested, “she stayed in Azarath and married a young viscount and lived happily ever after.

“Yes,” Enrichetta spoke, “and while she is making love to her viscount, she is all the while thinking of her love.”  Tim looked at the letter Enrichetta had placed on the table as the four women imagined aloud how Azar’s life turned out, a strange need filling his chest.  “I’m gonna write back,” he said.  All four women immediately ceased speaking and turned to the young man.  “Or is that not allowed?” Tim asked when he realized they were staring at him in shock.

“You want to write love letter?” Carla asked.

“If it’s okay.  You can proofread it before it goes out,” Tim said.  For some reason, he felt like this was something he absolutely needed to do.  The three women turned to Isabella.  Isabella smiled before holding out a piece of parchment to Tim.  “Then answer her.”  Tim took the paper with a smile and immediately began writing.

“Bene, bene,” Carla said hours later as she reread Tim’s letter.

“You are a good writer, Tim,” Isabel said.

“Grazie,” Tim replied.  “Do I sound like a secretary?”

“Juliet would be very pleased,” Isabel answered.  “Now, we mail the letter and see what happens.”

“How long do you think it will take to get to Azarath?”

“I have a good feeling about this one,” Isabel smiled, “I will expedite.”

“Hey,” Tim greeted Cassie, rushing through the front door of the villa.  “Sorry, I’m late.”

“No, it’s okay,” Cassie hugged him briefly, “you must have been having a great time with those old ladies.”

“They aren’t that old,” Tim scoffed.  “How was Angelina?”

“Oh, Tim,” Cassie’s eyes sparkled, “she is incredible.  Her instincts are amazing; she cooks without recipes.  She invited me to cook again.  I’ve already learned so much.  But how about you?”

“I answered a letter that was more than 50 years old,” Tim answered.

“Really?” Cassie asked.

“Yeah.  It was surprisingly fun.  In Gotham, I hated writing those stupid puff-pieces, but it wasn’t so bad this time.  It felt…good…different, somehow.”

“That’s cool.  Maybe you should spend more time writing with them,” Cassie suggested.

“Yeah,” Tim nodded, “I should.  Wait,” his brows furrowed as he studied his fiancée who looked uneasy, “why should I spend more time writing with strange, older women?”

“It’s your passion,” Cassie chuckled.  Tim raised a brow.  “Fine,” she relented quickly.  “Donna called me.  She invited me to this amazing wine auction happening in Livorno.”

“Livorno,” Tim repeated.

“I know.  It’s super exclusive, hard to get invites.  But Donna had an extra ticket, and I was hoping…”

“Right,” Tim said.  “You want to go.”

“I know we’re supposed to be spending time with each other, and we’ve barely spent any time at all.”  Tim bit back a scoff.  “But I’d only be gone for 3-5 days, and then we would have time for each other.  I mean, we’re supposed to be here for a month.”  Tim stared at her, trying to feel…something.  “Oh, now I feel awful,” Cassie said, “I’ll just…I’ll tell Donna I can’t make it.”

“No,” Tim said, “no.  Don’t do that.  I can tell that this is something you really want to do.  You should do it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  I’ll be fine.”

“Thank you so much!” Cassie squealed, throwing her arms around Tim, “Omigosh!  This is amazing!  I miss you already!”

              The next day, after seeing Cassie off, Tim spent it sans Secretaries of Juliet.  He visited most of the places on his list and had the time of his life.  It was something Cassie would have most definitely found boring.  He eventually returned to their suite in the evening and spent the rest of the night reading on the balcony and thinking.  Thinking about life; thinking about his career; thinking about his relationship with Cassie.  And now that he was thinking about his relationship with Cassie, he asked himself, Why were they getting married?  The longer they spent in Italia, the more Tim questioned whether they were good for each other.  This had to be more than cold feet.  Was marriage really the right thing to do?  He shook his head.  He had too much time on his hand, and now he was second guessing his relationship with Cassie.  They were fine.  They treated each other the same way in Gotham.  The exact.  Same.  Way.  So, why did it feel like things were…wrong?

(approx. 3 days later)

              Raven looked out the plane window, a permanent scowl on her face.  “Oh, Raven,” the older woman across from her said, “don’t be like that.”

“This is ridiculous,” Raven said to the old woman across from her.  “I don’t want to spend my last few months with you chasing down some old flame who probably isn’t alive.”

“What’s wrong with a little adventure?”

“All because some love-sick fatue decided to write you a letter.”

“Raven, don’t be lunibulungmen!” the elder lady said sharply.  Raven muttered a reply underneath her breath.  “Besides, when else will you have time to fly on a private jet with your favorite giagiá?”

“Azar,” Raven replied with a humorous grin, “you’re my only living grandparent.”

“So, we agree,” Azar settled into her seat, “I’m your favorite.”  Raven shook her head at her grandmother.  It was hard to remain cross with her.  “Raven,” Azar spoke softly, “I know these past 2 years have been more than a little rough for you.  They’ve been downright awful.  Please don’t worry about me.  Try to have fun.”

“Finding your lost love will be akin to looking for a needle in drawer of needles.  That’s if he’s even alive.  And what if he’s married?”

“One thing at a time, cucciolo,” Azar said.  Raven groaned at the pet name.  “We must first find Leonardo.  And to do that, we will start here – with these Secretaries of Juliet.”

“Fine,” Raven huffed, “but I’m going to meet them first.  I want to make sure they aren’t crazy…or sangdu nutuku.”  Azar only smiled at her granddaughter.  “Oh, Raven,” Azar said, “you really are luce dei miei occhi!”

“Ki ego se agapo, Avia,” Raven replied with a smile before looking back out her window.  The next few weeks were going to suck.

Chapter Text

              After three days of sightseeing and museum-hopping with little to no communication with Cassie, Tim was bored.  So, late afternoon on the fourth day, Tim decided to visit the Secretaries of Juliet.

              Greeting Angelina, Tim walked up the steps where he heard the women laughing about a letter asking about men.  Knocking on the door frame, Tim alerted them to his presence.  “Tim!” a chorus of voices greeted him excitedly.  The four women immediately began asking him questions in fast Italian.  Tim couldn’t answer them all.  “Umm…” he said as they pulled him into the room and forced him to sit.  “Tell us, Tim,” Enrichetta demanded, “Isabel has been very quiet about your fiancée.  Only stating how beautiful she looks.”

“Well, she is,” Tim smiled.

“Yes, but tell us more.”

“What does she do?”

“What does she like?”

“What do you love about her?”

“When’s the wedding and are we invited?”

“Vacci piano,” Isabel told her friends.  “Give him a chance to answer.”  Before Tim could answer, a female wearing sunglasses appeared at the door, knocking before saying, “Scusatemi per il disturbo.  Siete le segretari di Giulietta?”

“Sì,” Isabela answered brightly as she stood to her feet.  Tim studied the girl with mild interest.  She was on the short side.  Her short hair was styled side-swept and stopped at her chin.  She was wearing a simple yet chic, white romper with gold, Grecian sandals.  She had a cute nose, and her lips were a soft shade of pink.  They looked plump and petal soft, and Tim found himself staring intently at them.  It wasn’t until Carla said his name that Tim realized all attention was on him.  “I am so sorry,” Tim apologized.  “I zoned out.”

“Americano,” the girl said with a tight smile.  He couldn’t see above her nose, but judging on the press of her lips, she did not like him.  “Yes,” Alessandra said, “this is Tim.  He wrote the letter to Azar.”

“Wait, what?” Tim jumped to his feet in astonishment and joy.  He couldn’t believe it!  “Azar – she’s here?  She received my letter?”

“Yes,” the girl said, the tight smile never leaving her face.  Her accent was so annoyingly cute.  “It was so thoughtful of you to write back after 50 years.”  Tim couldn’t see through the giant dark sunglasses, but he imagined this girl was rolling her eyes. Also, the saracasm in her voice wasn’t hard to miss. “What were you thinking?” she asked.  Tim turned to the other four women for help.  All four turned to the basket of letters and feigned busyness. Traitors, Tim thought.

“Well,” Tim folded his arms as he looked down at the girl, “I was thinking she deserved an answer.”

“Maybe 50 years ago.  Not now.”

“I’m sorry,” Tim said, a bit of teasing creeping into his voice, “I wasn’t aware that true love had an expiration date.”

“Hah! True love?” the girl scoffed.  She then quickly spoke in a language Tim didn’t understand, as she looked at him from head to toe.  “Please tell me you are kidding.”  Tim cocked his head as he studied her.  He was enjoying this way too much.  “Can you imagine what would have happened if she had not seen sense?” she asked.

“Well, you wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t be having this lovely conversation,” Tim smiled.

“Trust me,” the girl spoke through gritted teeth, “this is the last place I want to be.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because she wants to meet you,” the girl’s lip curled in a small sneer, “and she asked me to bring the writer of the letter to her.”

“She’s here?” Tim asked, surprised once again.  The girl turned around without a word and exited the room.  Tim stared after her before turning to his four companions.  “Seguitela,” Isabela said, “follow her.”  The other three women nodded in agreement and excitement.

            Tim had to run to catch up with the girl.  For someone of such short stature, she walked really fast.  “In a hurry?” Tim joked once he caught up with her.  She didn’t respond.  “So,” Tim continued speaking, as the girl ignored him, “she came all this way from Azarath to find her Leonardo.  It’s sort of sweet.”  The girl stopped abruptly and turned to Tim.  “Sweet?” she repeated.  “What if Leonardo does not want to see her? Or has forgotten her? Or is dead?” she asked sharply.  Tim didn’t respond.  Honestly, he hadn’t thought that far ahead.  The small female turned on her heels and continued walking.

            They ended up at Juliet’s house.  Only one figure stood in the courtyard. An elderly woman with soft, white hair that fell just below her shoulders, was looking upward longingly at Juliet’s balcony. The female Tim had followed approached her.  They immediately began speaking in hushed tones.  The elderly woman looked up at Tim with the most intense blue eyes he had ever seen.  Right, he remembered.  She was Azarathian.  Azarathians were known for their vibrant eye colors.  Also, she was approaching him.  “Hello,” she greeted softly, looking at Tim with so much softness he wanted to melt.  “I see my granddaughter has found you,” she motioned to the younger female behind her whose face was now void emotion, and she had yet to remove her giant sunglasses.  Tim really wanted to rip them off her face to see what she looked like.  “Yes, she did,” Tim smiled his million-dollar smile that stole the hearts of every female in existence.  He turned his smile to the dark-haired female.  Well, almost every female in existence.  She didn’t react at all, not even a micro-twitch.  “She was so sweet and charming,” Tim continued.

            “Really?” Azar turned to her granddaughter.  “Does that mean your opinion has changed, Raven?”  Raven, Tim thought, that’s her name.  “No, not one bit,” Raven answered honestly, but not as harshly as she was with Tim.  “What do you hope to accomplish by coming here, Avia?”

            “Closure,” Azar shrugged.  “Adventure.  You could do with some adventure in your life, sweetheart.”  Tim smiled.  Azar really did care for her granddaughter, and Raven seemed to have some modicum of respect for her grandmother.  “We flew to Italia.  We stared at a wall.  We found the human who wrote the letter,” Raven stated monotonal.  “Adventure, over.  Can we go now?”  Azar tsked in response.  “Forgive my granddaughter,” Azar said to Tim, “adventure and excitement along with spontaneity is not one of her stronger attributes.”

            “Books are exciting,” Raven stated.  “This is not.”

            “The more you disprove, the more fun it will be for me,” Azar beamed.  Raven only shook her head, and Tim imagined in eyeroll along with it.  “We were going for a glass of wine,” Azar said to Tim, “would you like to join us?”  Tim was about to automatically say ‘no’, until he saw a brief sneer pass Raven’s features.  It was there and gone.  Most people would have probably missed it.  “I would be honored to join you,” he smirked at Raven.

            “Do you not have something better to do?” Raven asked.  “Perhaps another letter to write?”

            “Oh, I would not miss this for the world,” Tim smiled mockingly at her.

            “Great,” Azar clasped her hands together.  “Do you know of any places nearby?  We have done a bit of walking today.”  Tim could have imagined it, but a brief look of concern passed Raven’s face.  It was there and gone.  She asked Azar a question in a language Tim did not know, most likely Azarathian.  Azar responded in kind.  Turning to Tim, in English she said, “Lead the way.” 

Chapter Text

              Raven hated him.  She hated him.  His bright blue eyes and gorgeous smile – it disgusted her.  It absolutely disgusted her.  She especially hated how his black hair sometimes fell in front of his eyes and she had to fight the urge to move it.  Gods, did he not know about hair gel?  And those teasing, mocking smiles he sent her way.  Who did he think he was?  Raven rolled her eyes once more before looking out into the darkness as her grandmother recounted the story of her lost love to these group of optimistic strangers – the writers of Juliet or something like that.

            She bit her nail, as Azar continued.  It was a habit she had once broken but had returned two years ago.  Azar said it was something Raven did when she was upset or trying to block emotions.  Feeling eyes on her, Raven turned her head towards the group.  The American – Tim ­– was studying her intensely, like he was trying to figure her out.  His stare did all types of things to Raven’s stomach, things she didn’t like.  Did he have to sit across from her?  Gosh, all she wanted to do was slam his head into the table repeatedly.  “Tim has a fiancée,” one of the old lady writers said.

            “Really?” Azar turned to him with interest.  “Congratulations.  Raven, did you hear that?  Tim here is getting married.”

            “Yes, I did hear that,” Raven answered her grandmother respectfully before turning to Tim with a condescending smile.  “My condolences to the bride-to-be.”  A collective gasp could be heard around the table, while her grandmother stared at her in slight horror.  “Teshisiish,” her grandmother said.  Azar wanted her to apologize.  Raven scoffed and continued, “I have known Tim for less than 12 hours, and I find him insufferable.”

            “Doesn’t mean others find me insufferable,” Tim smiled easily.  “In America we have a saying. ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’”

            “So, your fiancée is blind,” Raven stated as the other women began oohing and aahing, “that explains everything.”

            “Raven,” Azar growled under her breath.

            “Man,” Tim leaned on the table, purposefully egging her on, “you are just a ball of sunshine and happiness.”

            “And you are either stupidly optimistic or naively optimistic,” Raven replied with a dark look.

            “What happened to you to make you so insufferably jaded?” Tim asked, annoyance now shining in his bright blue eyes.  Raven slightly flinched at the question as light blue eyes, a beautifully timbred laugh followed by the sharp pain of heartache played in the back of her mind.  She felt Azar tense beside her.  But Raven refused to back down.  “Just because I am realistic does not mean I am jaded,” Raven answered, “also, I just like making people miserable around me.  It is part of my charm.”

            “Charm?  Bratty and intolerable do not make one charming.”

            “Well, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’,” Raven repeated mockingly.

            “I truly hope you find a blind person who can learn to love you.”

            “And I hope your bride-to-be comes to her senses before the wedding; though, the thought of you being left at the altar does put a smile on my face.”  Tim’s jaw tightened.  Raven smirked at the reaction.  “Ra-ven,” Azar fixed her with a hard stare.

            “I’m only kidding, Grandma,” Raven lied, “obviously, the girl is lucky to be loved by someone like Tim.  By the way, where is she?  In America.”

            “No,” Tim answered stiffly.  Raven smiled at the reaction.  “She’s an up-and-coming chef.  She is at a wine-tasting in Livorno.”

            “She hasn’t returned?” one of the women asked Tim.

            “Is she okay?” another asked.

            “Yes, she texted me.  Sent me a few pictures.  She said she’s having the time of her life,” Tim replied.

            “She’s having the time of her life without you?” Raven asked, ignoring how Tim shifted uncomfortably in his chair.  “That says a lot about your future.”

            “Raven,” Azar said.

            “I am so glad to have met you,” Tim smiled stiffly.

            “You are welcome,” Raven replied before turning to Azar and asking, “Are we done for this evening? Can we go?”

            “Sure,” Azar said, “call Ivan.  Tell him to bring the car.”  Raven gave Tim one last look of disgust before leaving the table to go make a call.  Gods, she hated Tim so much.

            He wouldn’t say he hated her, but he definitely didn’t like her.  Firstly, she seemed to hate him on the spot, and Tim didn’t know why.  Secondly, her eyes were a gorgeous shade of violet.  While her face remained passive for the most part, her eyes were so expressive.  What she didn’t say with her face, she said with her eyes.  Thirdly, Raven seemed to hate anything and everything having to do with happiness.  Fourthly – back to her eyes.  They spoke of mysteriousness, intelligence, and sadness.  A deep sadness.  Tim had seen this sadness firsthand.  The longer Azar spoke of her first love, the more withdrawn Raven became.  She looked away from the table and its occupants.  She began chewing her nails that had been well-manicured.  And the way both she and her grandmother had both tensed when Tim asked what had made her jaded did not escape Tim’s attention.  The flash of pain in Raven’s eyes did not go unnoticed.  It made Tim want to get to know her even more, and that pissed him off!

            Raven was beautiful and sarcastic and annoying, and her eyes were gorgeous.  She quipped with him.  And he hated it!  Did she always have to have a comeback?  Cassie never traded quips with him.  But Raven, this girl he’d known for less than a day, gave as good as she got.  It was frustrating.  And she was so beautiful.  She made him feel things in his stomach and chest.  How dare she!

            Tim shook his head as he approached the door of his abode.  Digging in his pockets frustratingly, he pulled out the small sheet of paper Azar had slipped him when Raven went to call Ivan.  It was her personal number.  Azar wanted to stay in touch with Tim for some odd reason.  Tim shrugged.  Just as he was about to open the door, his phone buzzed.  Expecting it to be Azar, he was surprised when he realized it was Cassie…letting him know she’d be with Donna for the next few days.  Tim quickly texted a response.  It was fine.  It’s not like they had plans or anything.  His phone buzzed again.  This time it was Azar…and she had a favor to ask.

            Raven dug through her suitcase again for the umpteenth time while towel drying her hair.  “Something wrong?” her grandmother asked, strolling into Raven’s room.

            “I set my cellphone on the bed before my shower,” Raven answered, “or at least I thought I did.”

            “Oh, I have it,” Azar handed it to her.

            “Oh?” Raven took it, slightly confused.  Raven’s face then tightened as she read a text.  “You gave Tim my number?”

            “Yes,” Azar answered.  “I invited him to come along on our adventure.”

            “What!” Raven exclaimed.

            “He offered to drive.”

            “What!” Raven exclaimed again.  “Why?”

            “I think it will be fun,” Azar sat on the luxurious bed in their two-bedroom hotel suite.  “You could use some fun.”

            “Grandma,” Raven pinched the bridge of her nose, “what are you thinking?”

            “What?” Azar feigned innocence.  “The more the merrier.”

            “How about ‘three’s a crowd’?” Raven asked.  “And what if he’s busy with his fiancée?”

            “Oh, I checked.  Tim said she will not be back for a week, probably.”  Raven raised a brow at her grandma.  “Azar,” Raven asked, “I have only been to America a few times, but are all engagements in America like Tim’s?”

            “I don’t know, cucciolo,” Azar answered.  “Perhaps we can ask him tomorrow.”

            “Just make sure we take breaks,” Raven said, “I don’t want to get carsick in front of him.”

             Tim sat on the front steps, waiting for Azar and Raven to arrive.  This would be an adventure.  A sleek black car turned the corner and approached his dwelling.  Both the driver’s side and passenger’s door opened.  Raven stepped out from behind the steering wheel, sunglasses covering her vibrant eyes that haunted his dreams the night before.  Her lips were pursed in annoyance.  Azar, however, greeted Tim with a big smile and a greeting kiss on both cheeks.  “Buon giorno, Tim,” Azar greeted.  “You slept well, no?”

            “I slept very well, thank you.  Good morning to you, also,” Tim replied.  Turning to Raven with a borderline condescending smirk, he said, “Good morning, Raven.”  She responded by throwing the keys at him.  Tim caught them with a smug smile.  “I will sit in the back,” Raven said.

            “Nonsense, darling,” Azar smiled.  “Sit in the front.  You know how sick you get when you sit in the back.”

            “A-vi-a,” Raven growled through clenched teeth.  Tim smiled.  “Don’t worry,” Tim said.  Leaning down until his mouth was by her ear, he whispered seductively, “I won’t bite, unless you want me to.”  Raven bit her lip and clenched her fists.  “Let us just get this over with,” she spoke angrily, marching to the other side of the car.  Her grandmother gave her a placating smile.  “This will be fun,” Azar said, “do you not agree, Raven?”

            “I would rather throw myself off a cliff,” Raven muttered before sitting in the car.  Azar turned to Tim with a smile.  “She means well,” Azar said.  “Give her time.  That prickly, prickly personality of hers will disappear, and you will come to love her.”

Chapter Text

              “I do not understand it,” Raven spoke as Tim drove along the winding road.  He chanced a glance at her.  Raven’s head rested on the open window’s frame.  She had one arm out of the window, clearly enjoying the breeze.  She looked so relaxed, and…not hostile.  “You are in a city of love with your fiancée, and yet you would rather come on this useless treasure hunt with us?  Please explain this to me.”

            “Well, since you asked so nicely,” Tim smirked, “Cass and I don’t need to be around each other all of the time.  We’re very independent.”  Tim kept his eyes on the road as he answered, but he could feel Raven’s eyes on him.  “Yes,” Raven replied, “that is what I do not understand.  Couples who come to Italia usually do everything together because they want to experience the city together.”

            “I don’t need Cassie to be with me to experience the city,” Tim glanced at Raven, “and I know she’s having a good time wine-tasting.”

            “Yes,” Raven’s voice took on a slight mocking time, “your fiancée is having a good time without you.  That is very telling.  And it is a red flag.”

            “Red flag?” Tim scoffed.  “I didn’t realize I was in the presence of a love expert.”  He didn’t mean to come across as sharp, but he was growing annoyed.  Of course, his annoyance had less to do with Raven and more to do with the fact that she was making sense.  But he and Cassie were fine.  They were operating the way they always operated.  Which, the more he thought about it, the more he asked himself, Were he and Cassie actually a couple, or were they two friends who liked to bang?   “I am not a love expert,” Raven replied, turning her gaze to her open window.

            “That’s for sure,” Tim muttered.

            “But I have common sense,” Raven added.  “If you and this Cassie- “

            “Raven!” Azar huffed from the backseat.  Azar then begin chastising Raven.  Rather, Tim assumed she was chastising Raven.  He didn’t understand the language being spoken.  “Leave Tim alone,” Azar eventually said in English after a little back-and-forth.  “The lives of Tim and his fiancée, Chastity, are none of our business.”  Tim chose to ignore the fact that Azar completely messed up Cassie’s name.  “Baba,” Raven corrected, “her name is ‘Cassie’, not ‘Chastity’.”

            “Oh,” Azar replied, “my apologies, Tim.”

            “No harm done,” Tim laughed.

Another hour went by before Raven decided to take the wheel.  And, after quick break and brief discussion between her and Azar, it was decided that Tim would sit up front…even though he wanted to sit in the back.  Raven driving turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  It gave Tim the opportunity to text Cassie…or vent to Cassie.  “Azar is amazing.  Granddaughter is [vomit emoji],” he texted.  The response was shockingly instant.

Cassie: “Loving and living for Livorno.  Wine is amazing.  Connor is here also.”

Tim’s brow furrowed in confusion.  Who in the world was Connor?  Did they know a Connor?  Did he know a Connor?  Tim texted these questions to Cassie.

Cassie: “[laugh emoji ˣ 20] He was with us at the cheese tasting.  One of the guides.  Tall, black hair, blue eyes.  He sort of looks like you, but more muscular and taller.  We have sooo much in common.”

Tim wracked his brain.  He vaguely remembered a guy matching that description.  “He’s a sous chef in training to be a pastry chef,” Cassie texted.   “His coconut tres leche cake had me dying.  It was an explosion of sweetness and creaminess in my mouth.  I was moaning so much as I ate it.”  Tim raised a brow at the last sentence.

Tim:  I have so many questions.

Cassie:  Okay, luv u.  Njoy ur trip.

Tim stared at her text, feeling absolutely nothing.  His lips twisted in deep thought.  Shouldn’t he feel…something?  His fiancée was at a wine-tasting with another, presumably, gorgeous man, and Tim didn’t even care.  He frowned before looking over at Raven who was focused on the road in front of her.  The longer he stared, the harder his heart beat in his chest.  How was this girl able to make him feel things – things that his fiancée should make him feel?  “Why are you staring at me?” Raven asked, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel.

“Just thinking,” Tim muttered, looking back at his phone.

“Is something wrong?” Raven asked.  Was that concern Tim heard in her voice?  He raised a brow.  “I’m fine,” Tim answered.  Turning to Azar, who had been watching the interaction with startling intensity, Tim asked, “Where did you meet Leonardo?”

“I met him by the lake near my family’s villa.  I was 19.  He was 22.”  A dreamy look appeared into Azar’s eye as she was transported back in time.  “He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.  Six feet tall.  Muscular chest, biceps.  Curly black hair.  Skin that shone a dark gold in the sun.  Oh, his eyes…his eyes – the lightest shade of brown.  And his lips…”

“Do you need a minute, Grandma?” Raven deadpanned.  Azar gave her granddaughter an exasperated look before continuing.  “When he looked at me, it was like he was staring straight into my soul.”

“How often did you two see each other?” Tim asked.

“Oh, I would sneak away from my family, and he would sneak away from his job at the vineyard at every opportunity.”

“Dali treba octanovit mashinu?” Raven groaned.  “Should I pull over?”

“You’re being dramatic,” Azar laughed.  “Nye dramatich.”

“There’s a lake up ahead, and this is a long story,” Raven replied.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m going to pull over anyway.  Oh look, picnic tables.  It’s fate.” 

“What am I going to do with you?”

Tim had no idea what had just transpired between the two.  All he knew was that they were pulling over.  “My granddaughter would like to get some air,” Azar said.  Tim looked at Raven, just in time to see her roll her eyes.  Raven silently exited the car.  “We are going to sit by the lake,” Azar smiled kindly at Tim.  Tim nodded.  At least one of them knew how to be civil.

Azar and Raven sat on one table while Tim sat at table across from them.  Azar, Raven, and Tim faced each other as Azar continued.  “Any way, as I was saying in the car,” Azar looked poignantly at her granddaughter, “we saw each other whenever possible – having picnics by the lake.  It was all very romantic.”

            “Yes, eating in dirt is romantic,” Raven huffed.  Tim only looked at her with disgust.  Whether she returned his look, Tim did not know as she was once again wearing those blasted sunglasses.  “For your information,” Azar replied lightly, looking at Raven, “Leonardo loved dirt.  He loved the earth.  Gardening was his passion.  He spent most nights sleeping outside.  It was his dream to own a vineyard that doubled as a bed and breakfast. 

“On days it rained, there was this huge tree we would sit under, and he would talk about the rain, the water from the spring,” Azar paused.  Reaching her hand to her neck, Tim was surprised to see a silver necklace.  Tasteful and elegant.  How had he not noticed it before.  “He even spent his salary buying me this necklace to symbolize our love.”  Raven sighed loudly, crossing her legs, and folding her arms.  She looked away from the two.

            Tim sat up straighter.  What was this girl’s deal?  Why was she being so rude?  And why was her grandmother letting her be so disrespectful?  Raven needed a tongue-lashing.  Tim opened his mouth to give Raven a piece of his mind but froze when he looked at Azar. 

Azar was looking at her granddaughter with sadness and hope – a look Tim didn’t understand.  He held his tongue as Azar reached for Raven’s hand.  Still refusing to look at Tim and her grandmother, Raven uncrossed her arms and allowed Azar to intertwine their fingers.  Tim raised his brow.  He was beyond curious.  Any irritation he felt towards Raven disappeared.  It was a mystery.  She was a mystery – one he would solve.  But further contemplation would have to wait as Azar began speaking again.  “Sometimes, we would hide in the vineyard and talk for hours.  Other times we would lay in a field.”  Azar chuckled.  “Oh, I loved laying in the field.  On those days, he would pull me into his arms and kiss me all over.  I can still remember his masculine scent- “

            “Avia!” Raven looked at Azar in horror as Tim stifled his laughter.  “We get it!  Please do not continue!”

            “So dramatic,” Azar smiled.  Tim laughed.  “So, Leonardo,” Tim paused, “would you say he was your soulmate”?

            “Well…yes,” Azar answered, “yes I would.”

            “So, we are looking for your soulmate?  Are you kidding me?” Raven stood to her feet.  “I am going to the car.  Please, continue this talk of nonsense without me.”

            Azar and Tim watched as she stormed away.  Tim shook his head, flinching as Raven slammed the car door shut.  He turned to Azar, startled to see a sad look in her eyes.  “What’s her deal?” Tim asked.  “She goes from sort-of-pleasant-to-be-around to insufferable in two seconds.  What?  Did her parents not hug her enough?”  Azar sighed before turning her sad gaze to Tim.  “Her parents are dead, Tim,” Azar stated sadly.

“Oh,” Tim said, feeling shameful.  It was almost ironic how Raven having dead parents never once crossed his mind.  “It was a long time ago,” Azar continued.  “It no longer affects her the way it used to.”

“Then why is she like that?” Tim didn’t understand.  Azar sighed once more.  “I love my granddaughter.  I love annoying my granddaughter and driving her insane,” Azar laughed before becoming sullen.  “But this…this is her story to tell.  Try to understand.”  Tim nodded, although he didn’t quite understand.  His parents were dead, too, and he wasn’t an insufferable, beautiful asshole.  Also…beautiful?  Where had that thought come from?  He didn’t think Raven was beautiful.  Cassie was beautiful, he reminded himself.  “Deep down, she really is a sweet girl,” Azar added.

“How deep do I have to dig to find that girl?” Tim asked skeptically.

“Deep, I’m afraid,” Azar laughed heartily.  “Very deep.  But enough about me and Raven.  Tell me about your fiancée.”

“Oh,” Tim said, momentarily caught off guard.  “Her name is Cassie, and she is one of Gotham’s biggest up and coming chefs.  She’ll be opening her first restaurant this year.”

“Zakhvatyvayusche!” Azar exclaimed.  “Infigo!  How exciting!  You must be so proud.”

“Yes,” Tim nodded in agreement.  “She is a very hard worker.  If anyone deserves a restaurant, it’s her.”

“And this trip to Italia was just a couple’s outing?”

“Cassie called it a ‘pre-honeymoon’ or a ‘practice honeymoon’.  But she’s also been meeting with restaurant suppliers.  That is why she is in Livorno.”

“Fun.”

“Eh…for her.  For me…not so much.  Food is food.   A necessary sustenance that our body needs.  I don’t understand all the fancifulness.”  Azar smiled as she asked, “Do your parents like her?”

“My adoptive father likes her.  He’s friends with her mother,” Tim replied, “but my birth parents were murdered when I was 10.”

“Che tristezza,” Azar gasped, her eyes widened in horror.  “Amissis doleas.” 

“Grazie,” Tim smiled.  “But the murderers were caught and brought to justice.”

“Good,” Azar stated resolutely.  She was about to ask another question but stopped when Raven appeared.  “If we leave now, we can reach the first guy before late afternoon,” Raven stated, her sunglass-covered-face not giving anything away.

“Then we shall leave at once,” Azar stated, jumping to her feet with all the energy of a 5-year-old.

“I’ll drive,” Tim said to Raven, trying to be nice.

“I am capable of driving,” Raven stated, turning on her heel, walking away.  Tim groaned.  “Adorabile,” Azar whispered to him as she walked by, “deep down.”

“I’m beginning to think ‘deep down’ translates to ‘bottomless pit’,” Tim muttered to himself before following the two women into the car.  This time, he took the back seat.

Chapter Text

Eventually, they pulled up to a decent-sized house with a wide-open backyard and lake.  “This is it?” Raven asked.

“Yes,” Azar answered as they exited the car.

“How do you want to do this?” Tim asked, taking in the surroundings.

“I guess I will just ring the doorbell,” she answered as they approached the door.  Aza did just that without a second thought.  “Wait,” Raven said, “what if his wife answers the door in a fit of jealous rage?”

“Then I will be most flattered,” Azar exchanged laughs with Tim.  “Actually,” she said, rather sincerely, “I am more afraid that he will not remember me.”

“Avia,” Raven said in an uncharacteristically sweet way that had Tim taking a double look.  “Of course, he will remember you.  You are the most memorable person I know.”

“Thank you,” Azar beamed.

After another minute or so of no answer, Raven said, “No one is home.  We can leave.”

“We can’t give up,” Tim said.

“Why not?  We gave it our best effort.  Why prolong the disappointment?”

“I’m going to check around back,” Tim said as he began walking to the side of the house.  He rolled his eyes as he heard Raven release a groan of annoyance.  What a baby, Tim thought.  But before he could make another move, the front door slowly opened, and an old man around Azar’s age walked out.  He stared curiously at the visitors.  “Buon sera,” Azar smiled softly at him.  “È il tuo nome, Leonardo Rossi?”

“Sì, sono io,” he answered.

“Meraviglioso,” Azar gasped.

“Buongiorno,” Raven greeted respectfully.  “Il mio nome è Raven.  Questa è mia nonna, Azar.  This is Tim,” Raven threw over her shoulder flippantly.  Tim glared at her in response.

“Leonardo,” Azar took a small step towards him, “Ti ricordi di me?”  The man only looked at her quizzically.  After a moment, Azar turned to Raven and Tim and said, “It is not him.”

“How do you know?” Raven asked.

“Are you sure?” Tim added.

“Yes,” Azar said sadly, “they are not his eyes.”

“Oh,” Tim replied understandingly.

“His eyes?” Raven repeated skeptically.  “No. Let me try.  Mi scusi signori.  Ricordi cosa facevi nell’estate del 1957?” 

“Perché volete sapere?  Chi sei?  Perché mi fai queste domande?” he asked in return, slowly becoming irate.

“We should leave,” Raven looked at her grandmother and Tim.  Raven led Azar to the car.  Tim looked back at the Italian gentleman who was staring after them.  “Uh…” Tim said.  “Scusa se ti disturbo.”  He then followed the two women to the car.  “We are going to a hotel,” Raven said as Azar nodded in agreement.

The ride to the hotel was silent.  Raven gripped the steering wheel tightly, occasionally glancing at t her grandmother through the rearview window.  “Look,” Raven said, “we gave it our best shot.  Can we go home now?”

“Are you for real?” Tim looked at her in befuddlement.

“If I knew the meaning of that question, I would be able to provide an adequate answer,” Raven replied intensely.

“He can’t be the only Leonardo Rossi in Tuscany,” Tim argued.

“Do you know how popular a name Leonardo Rossi is?” Raven asked, taking her eyes off the road only briefly.

“No,” Tim answered.  “But there can’t be that many.  We can check when we get to the hotel.”

Tim tried not to look at the young Azarathian as she and Azar came marching up to the poolside table where Tim sat.  It was nothing too extravagant, just a black monokini with a transparent sarong tied around her waist.  Her hair was longer than he originally thought, and it was black but looked dark violet when the sun hit it a certain way…not that Tim noticed or anything. 

Once again, she was wearing huge sunglasses to cover her gorgeous eyes…not that Tim noticed.  So lost in thought, he nearly jumped when Raven all but slammed the laptop on the table.  “Ecce!  Look!” she exclaimed as she crossed her arms in annoyance.  It took everything in Tim’s power to not blatantly check her out slowly from head-to-toe.  “What am I looking at?” Tim asked as Azar laid out a map.

“You cannot read English?”

“Ra-ven,” her grandmother gave her a warning look.

“Seventy-four men named Leonardo Rossi in 50-mile radius,” Raven stated.

“Wow,” Tim said in awe.  He honestly thought there would be maybe twenty.  “This is ridiculous,” Raven said, “Baba, we should return home in the morning.”

“Oh, relax dear,” Azar brushed off her granddaughter, “seventy-four is not a lot.”

“Not a lot?” Raven scoffed.  “Please tell me you do not intend to track down every Leonardo Rossi.”

“Well…” Azar hesitated before turning to Tim, “what do you think, Tim?”

“What does he think?” Raven growled.  “He does not think at all.”

“Oh, Raven- “

“Inu, Baba,” Raven her cut her grandmother off, “it is his fault we are here searching for a needle in a stack of needles.”

“Сucciolo,” Azar said softly, “what are you afraid of?”

“I do not want to see you disappointed, Avia,” Raven answered calmly.  Azar gave her an endearing smile.  “Look,” Tim spoke passively, “in America, hunting leads that are hard to find is what I do.  I use process of elimination.”  Raven looked skeptical, and even Azar looked hesitantly doubtful.  “Believe it or not,” Tim continued, “I graduated college at 15.”

“Amerikanskii collyedzh?” Raven scoffed rudely and distastefully.

“Dah,” Tim answered defensively.

“Ignore her,” Azar quickly said.  “At age 15?  That is so impressive.  Please, tell us your plan.”

“Yes,” Raven added sarcastically as she plopped down into a seat with a huff, “tell us your plan, oh smart one.”  Tim smirked as he pointed to the map.  “I think if I use process of elimination and caveat emptor, which will require more facts, we can narrow this list down,” he stated confidently.

“Ooh,” Raven stated dryly, “‘caveat emptor.’  Big words, genius.”  Tim gave her an exasperated look, which she returned.  Or…Tim guessed she returned it – the sunglasses were still covering her face.  “Raven,” Azar smiled, “you do not have to stay for this.”  Standing to her feet, Raven untied her sarong and draped it nicely on the chair.  “I will be in the pool,” Raven announced.  “You two can do…whatever,” she sighed.  Taking off her sunglasses, she gave Tim a look of annoyance – that only mildly sent his heart racing – and strolled to the pool.  “Well,” Azar smiled at Tim, “now we can some real work done without comments from Miss Pessimism.”  Tim chuckled along with her.

“Okay,” Tim said after an hour of information gathering and some slightly illegal hacking.  “You are sure Leonardo would have never left this area?” he gestured to a specific area on the map.

“Oh, I am most certain,” Azar replied.  “He loved the land in this area.  He said the soil was perfect for growing plants.”

“Hmm,” Tim tapped a finger on the table, deep in thought.  He looked around as he stretched his neck.  Very few people were in the pool.  Raven had gone inside 20 minutes ago for a business call…or something.  Tim didn’t care. 

With a sigh, Tim turned back to the map in front of him.  He then looked at the necklace in Azar’s hand.  She had taken it off a while ago as it had been part of Tim’s research.  “May I?” he asked, holding his hand out for the necklace.

“Certainly,” Azar handed it to him without hesitance.

Placing the necklace on the scale of the map, Tim measured it.  He then placed the necklace on the map where Azar and Leonardo had first met.  Stretching out the measured part of necklace, Tim used the middle as the pivot of a compass.  “I say,” he said as he drew a perfect circle, “we start with the Leonardos in this area.”

“Wow,” Azar’s eyes widened in amazement.  “I never would have thought to do that.”  Tim smiled at the praise.  “But, Tim,” Azar said with worry, “are you sure your fiancée will not mind that you are with us?”

“I’m sure,” Tim answered quickly and positively, “but…I’ll double-check anyway.”

Walking a few feet away from Azar, Tim dialed his fiancée’s number.  “Tim,” she answered the phone.  “Hi!” she sounded almost surprised…and breathless.

“Hey,” Tim said.  “How’s it going?”

“I just witnessed the most amazing Sauterne auction.  You?”

“Well, I’m in Siena right now.”

“Okay,” was all Cassie said.  “Why are you in Sienna?  Oh, wait!  Is this part of that Juliet letter thing?”

“Yes,” Tim said.

“Ooh, fun.  So, it’s like a scavenger hunt?”

“I guess.”

“Well, I’m glad you called,” Cassie said, “and I was about to call you.  I am having the most wonderful time here.  There’s all these chefs and vendors.  I’m going to need 4 maybe 5 more days.  Is that okay with you?”

“Um…sure,” Tim answered, positive Cassie had already made up her mind.

“Oh, thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Mwah!  Hugs and kisses!  Talk to you later!” she hung up before Tim could respond.  He looked at his phone and shrugged.  Walking back to the table, Tim sat down before saying, “My fiancée is fine with me staying.”

“Really?” Azar raised her brow in surprise.  “You have not seen each other in days.”

“She’s doing her thing, and I’m doing mine.” Tim shrugged nonchalantly.  “Besides, we still text each other.”

“Oh,” Azar said, hiding her bewilderment, “well…okay.  Glad to have you on board,” she finished with a smile.  “And I’m sure my granddaughter will be pleased.”

Chapter Text

To say Raven was less than thrilled at the news of Tim’s extended accompaniment on their venture was an extremely, severe, over-exaggeration.  When her grandmother gave her the news, all Raven did was gave Tim a tight-lipped smile and say, “I am driving.  Tim sits in the back.”  Those arrangements were fine with Tim.  It gave him time to think about him, Cassie, this trip, Raven – how annoying Raven was, how pretty her eyes were, how obnoxious she was.  While he was lost in thought, Azar and Raven chatted up front in Azarathian.  Sometimes they switched to Russian, sometimes to Italian; but they stuck with their native language for the most part.

Countless hours and ten Leonardos later, Azar had become godmother to two separate infants and had 4 marriage proposals.  One 70-year-old Leonardo walked right up to Raven and attempted to kiss her.  In response, after kneeing him in the groin, Raven released the tongue-lashing of the century.  Tim didn’t know all she said, but he did not hesitate to laugh when the man ran away with his tail between his legs.

The 11^th Leonardo was almost as rich as Bruce Wayne.  Almost.  He tried his best to get Azar to stay with him; however, Azar declined with grace and poise.  Rich Leonardo made it a point to tell Azar that her Leonardo was a lucky man, and the doors to his mansion were always open if she needed a shoulder to cry on.

Tim also couldn’t help but notice that with each false Lorenzo, the quieter Raven became.  He couldn’t get a single quip from her.  He even began going out of his way to annoy her.  But she remained silent.  “Maybe she’s tired,” Tim muttered with a shrug.  They had been at it for almost 18 hours.  So, his relief was evident when Azar suggested calling it a day.

They ended up booking rooms in another hotel.  Once again, Azar refused to let Tim pay.  He hadn’t paid for anything since the beginning of his adventure with Azar and Raven.  He was beginning to feel guilty.  But the guilt would have to wait until after dinner.  He was starving.  They all were.  All three sighed in relaxation once they sat down to eat.  “Raven,” Azar spoke after they had finished their meal.  Raven had been mute for nearly two hours now.  From Tim’s perspective, it seemed as if Azar was desperately trying to get something out of her granddaughter’s mouth.  “You should tell Tim about your art,” Azar suggested with a soft smile.

“Your art?” Tim repeated.  He turned to the sullen female on his left.  “You’re an artist?” he asked Raven, his interest in her only growing.  “Do you draw?  Paint?  What’s your favorite medium?”

“Well…I do not do much of that anymore,” Raven stated, fidgeting with her fingers.

“But she is extremely talented,” Azar continued to gush.  “She used to make the cutest turtles from clay.”

“Azar,” Raven muttered, clearly uncomfortable.

“You should tell him about your work,” Azar encouraged her granddaughter.

“Grandma, I do not think Tim wants to hear about my job,” Raven sighed.

“Try me,” Tim smirked.

“I am an art curator,” was all Raven said.

“Oh, dara, you are too modest,” Azar added with a big smile.  “Raven is a major curator in the art world.  She has a gift.  She has worked with some of the biggest museums in Eurasia.”

“Thanks, Grandma,” Raven said, turning her head to hide her blush.

“On top of that,” Azar continued to boast, “she translates manuscripts, specializing in dead languages.”

“Wow,” Tim said, straightening in his seat, truly impressed.

“And she may be moving to America at the end of the month,” Azar added proudly.

“America?  Really?” Tim looked at Raven.  “My neck of the woods.”

“I do not know if I got the job, Baba,” Raven spoke, “they are still interviewing people.”

“Yes, but you have made it to the final round of the interviews,” Azar’s excitement was palpable.  “She even tutors pro bono.”

“Really?” Tim looked at the embarrassed girl wide-eyed.  “What subjects?”

“Languages,” Azar answered as Raven’s blush grew.  “English, mostly.  In Azarath, she even funds and 100% supports a youth recreation center for the arts.  Membership is free,” Azar smiled.

“That is really amazing,” Tim looked over at Raven, seeing her in a new light.  “So, there’s more to you than rich, spoiled princess.”

“You sound disappointed,” Raven stated dryly just as their waiter returned with their food.

“Not disappointed.  I’m…pleasantly surprised,” Tim gave her a genuine smile.  Raven shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before looking away, a small smile on her face.  Tim’s heart raced in his chest.  This was the first time she smiled at him.  He had to fight the urge to gaze at her rosy-colored cheeks.

“Well, I am off to bed,” Azar stood to her seat suddenly, smiling proudly at herself.  Raven stood with her.  “No, no, dear,” Azar stopped her.  “You stay here.  Get to know Tim.  And be nice,” Azar added, giving Raven a pointed look.  Raven sat back down her seat as Azar strolled away, head held high.

Raven and Tim sat in an awkward silence for several minutes before Raven said, “I am not doing this.  I am going to bed.”

“Night,” Tim replied casually.  Raven walked two steps and froze.  She clenched and unclenched her fists before turning back around.  “I guess,” she spoke slowly, not sitting back down.  “I may owe you an apology.”

“Really?” Tim feigned shock.

“I know I have not been the most pleasant company.”  Tim scoffed at that.  Raven raised one perfectly arched brow – not that Tim noticed.  “But you seem to bring out the worst in me,” Raven continued.

“So, this is my fault,” Tim stated.

“This entire thing is your fault,” Raven gestured to her surroundings.  “You just had to write that letter, and I do not understand why.”  Her face fell, and for the first time that day, Tim could see genuine fear and sadness on her face – in her eyes.  What she was so afraid of?  “What is in it for you?” Raven asked him desperately.  Her face remained a blank mask, but her eyes spoke of worry and sorrow.  Those eyes – Tim could stare into those eyes forever.  “What are you afraid of?” Tim asked aloud before he could stop himself.  Raven looked momentarily taken aback.  Her mouth opened and then closed.  She bit one side of her lip as she fidgeted nervously.  She cleared her throat and blinked a few times before the blank mask she’d been wearing the entire trip returned to her face.  “Well, goodnight,” Raven said, completely ignoring Tim’s question.  She turned on her heel to walk away.

“Wait,” Tim immediately stood from his chair.  He didn’t want her to go.  “At least…let me walk you to your room.”  Raven looked at him peculiarly before giving a slight nod.  “Okay,” she agreed.

They rode the elevator and slowly walked to her room in silence.  Once they made it to her room, Raven faced Tim and asked, “You do see the ridiculousness of this entire thing, right?”

“I guess,” Tim shrugged.

“Why are you here?  What could you possibly have to gain?”

“I gain nothing,” Tim answered.  He then looked deep down into her magnificent violet eyes, “But for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m exactly where I need to be.  I don’t feel…lost.  I feel, well,” he chuckled, “I feel…something.  Does that make sense to you?”

“I – I guess,” Raven breathed out.  She placed her hand on the doorknob, only stopping when Tim’s hand covered hers.   Tim froze.  He hadn’t meant to touch her, but he had to ask again.  He had a burning desire to know.  “What are you so afraid of?” he asked, his blue eyes holding her violet irises hostage.

“N-nothing,” Raven stuttered.  He was standing so close.  She could feel the heat radiating from his body.  She needed to look away.  She was feeling dizzy and nauseated.  A weird feeling settled in her stomach.  Gosh, he was so annoying.

Tim, unaware of the effect he was having on Raven, was fighting his own internal, bodily struggle.  His eyes were glued to her eyes, but occasionally, he would glance at her lips.  Was that pink a natural color or gloss?  He really wanted to know.  It wasn’t until a door slammed from the other side of the hall that Tim realized finally realized he was crowding her.  “I’m sorry,” he said with a shake of his head to clear his muddy brain.  He took a step back.  “I’m sorry.”  Raven nodded.  “Well, goodnight,” Raven said softly before opening the door to her room

“Goodnight,” Tim replied.  Raven gave him another tentatively, shy smile before she closed the door.  Tim backed away, his heart racing in his chest.  What just happened?

Chapter Text

The car ride the next morning was both quiet and uneventful.  Raven was at the wheel, her grandmother in the passenger seat.  They were speaking to each other in hushed tones.  Tim was in the backseat, lost in thought, studying the map he was holding.  Their next stop, a nunnery of some sort.  He scoffed to himself.  The way Azar spoke of her ex-lover, there was no way the guy was part of the clergy…unless he had a fetish for nuns.  Who was he to judge?  Stranger things had happened.

Tim stood by the car as Azar entered the convent…or was it an elaborate nursing home with people dressed like 1940 nuns?  He wasn’t quite sure.  But he was alone.  Raven had wandered a couple of yards away.  She was on the phone with someone.   Tim took the opportunity to really look at her.  She wasn’t tall, that much was obvious.  If he had to guess, she was maybe pushing 5’4”.  Maybe.

She wore jean high-waisted shorts that stopped at mid-thigh, paired with a black satin button-down.  A pair of black, wedge-heeled sandals adored the dainty feet.  Her toenails were well-manicured.  Her hair was straight in a side-swept style, and giant sunglasses once again hid her enchanting, beautiful eyes.

Tim’s eyes fell to the hand clutching the phone to her ear.  He wondered what it would feel like to intertwine their fingers.  He then abruptly shook his head.  Where had that thought come from?  He didn’t want to hold hands with Raven, he mentally scoffed.  He didn’t want anything to do with Raven.  Actually, he couldn’t wait for all of this to be over.  The sooner they found Azar’s love, the sooner Tim could say goodbye to the bratty, rich, spoiled, smart, beautiful, Azarathian.  The sooner they found Azar’s Leonardo, the sooner he could kiss Raven goodbye on her soft, pink lips.  Not that he wanted to kiss her soft, pink lips.  He didn’t even know if her lips were soft, and it wasn’t something he ever thought about.  He did not want to kiss the beautiful-eyed Azarath – “Ahem!” a voice interrupted his scattered thoughts.

“Azar,” Tim said when he saw the vibrant blue eyes looking at him.  “Any luck?”

“No,” Azar answered, giving Tim a knowing look.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Tim asked, feeling his cheeks heat.

“I am not looking at you in any way,” Azar shrugged in a way that reminded Tim of Raven.

“So…?” Raven’s voice interrupted the conversation that was about to turn awkward.

“It is not him,” Azar sighed.  “Onto the next one.  Ready?”  Raven nodded before climbing into the passenger’s seat.  Tim had just placed his hand on the door handle when his phone vibrated in his pocket.  Taking it out, he was surprised to see a text from Cassie.  His brow furrowed as he read the text: We need to talk.  “We need to talk?” he repeated.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Raven asked, sticking her head out the window.

“Uh…sorry,” Tim apologized before quickly sliding into the backseat.

His mind pondered the text.  What did that mean – we need to talk.  That phrase had never been uttered in the entirety of their relationship.  Tim didn’t want to say that he and Cassie never talked, but this trip was beginning to show him just how little they talked.  He frowned.  “Are you okay, Tim?” Azar asked from the passenger’s seat.  Raven glanced at him through the rearview mirror, her sunglasses no longer covering her face.  The two maintained contact for a long 3 seconds before Raven quickly looked away.  Tim couldn’t help the smirk that formed on his face when he saw a bit of red come to her cheeks.  He was finally affecting her.  “Tim?” Azar repeated, this time worry in her tone.

“Sorry,” Tim said.  “It’s nothing.  Just…nothing.  What’s next?” he asked, changing the subject.  “What do you want to do now?”

“Well, we are most certainly not giving up,” Azar smiled optimistically, “are we, Raven?”

            “Do not bring me into this,” Raven answered dryly.  Tim couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that slipped past his lips.  “Ki murangen, mila,” Azar smiled at Raven, “you bring me so much joy.”  Raven responded by muttering something under her breath.  Azar laughed heartily while Raven turned her head away to hide a small smile that Tim totally saw.  Tim beamed from his place in the backseat, Cassie’s text now far from his mind.  He was beginning to see the sweetness Azar saw.  It really was way deep down.

            Even though Azar’s Leonardo had not been found, the trio did end the day in high spirits.  Everyone was all smiles when they finally pulled into the lot of a hotel…where Azar once again refused to let Tim pay.  Tim was beginning to feel extremely bad about not paying, especially since this particular hotel chain had been bought by Wayne Enterprises.  They could have stayed for free.  He’d find a way to anonymously reimburse her.

            Two hours later, Tim was typing away furiously on his laptop when someone knocked on his door.  Opening it, he was surprised to see Raven standing there sans Azar.  “Hi,” Tim greeted, not masking his shock.  “Come in.  Come in.  Where’s your grandmother?”

            “She decided to turn in for the night.  I was coming to see if you wanted to accompany me down to the dining room. This hotel has a dessert bar.”

            “You like desserts?” Tim scoffed.  For some reason, he found that fact absolutely hilarious.

            “Yes,” Raven blinked with a raised brow.  “Do you not like dessert?”

            “Not particularly,” Tim admitted, sitting back down at the desk where he was working.  “I try to stay away from anything that would lessen muscle mass and add fat.”  Raven studied him hard from head to toe, making Tim blush.  “You must not eat sugar ever.  Outwardly, you appear healthy,” she replied.

            “Did you just call me handsome?” Tim teased.

            “No. I said outwardly you appear healthy,” she repeated.

            “I think that’s Raven-speak for ‘handsome’,” Tim winked at her.  Raven merely rolled her eyes.  She opened her mouth to say more but stopped at the sight of Tim’s open laptop.  She stared at it curiously, biting her lip.  Tim could tell she wanted to ask what he was working on, but she remained silent.  Interesting, Tim thought.  “Well,” she said, shifting uncomfortably, her violet eyes meeting Tim’s blue ones, “I see that you are busy.  I will leave you alone.”

            “Don’t you want to know what I’m working on?” Tim quickly asked, not sure why he did.

            “Um…” she bit her soft lip – not that Tim noticed, “what are you working on?”

            “I am writing one last article,” he answered proudly.

            “About this hunt for Leonardo?” Raven questioned.  Tim nodded.  “Is it going well?” Raven asked.

            “Sort of,” Tim answered uneasily, “I just really want it to perfect.  This is my last story before I leave my job,” he lied boldly.

            “You are leaving your job?” Raven asked, tilting her head as she regarded him curiously.  Tim nodded, motioning for her to sit on his bed.  “For a different writing job?” she clarified.

            “Nope,” Tim answered.  “I am returning to the corporate life.”  Raven stared at him blankly.  “I’m returning to my office job,” he said.

            “Oh,” Raven nodded in understanding.  “Why would you rather work in an office than write letters to lovesick old women?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

            “You’re just jealous,” Tim said humorously.  Raven gave him a playful glare.  “Actually,” Tim cleared his throat, “Azar’s letter is the only letter I replied to.”

            “Navistina – I mean – really?” Raven asked wide-eyed, “why?”

            “I don’t know,” Tim answered honestly.  “It…spoke to me.”

            “A piece of paper spoke to you?” Raven asked with a raised brow.

            “Not literally,” Tim quickly explained, “I honestly don’t know how to explain it.”

            “Well, hopefully explaining it in writing will be easier than explaining it verbally.”

            “Maybe,” Tim agreed.  A comfortable moment of silence filled the room, only to be interrupted by Tim’s phone.  “It’s Cassie,” he said, reading the caller ID.  His mind immediately went back to her text from earlier today.  His face immediately fell.  “Well, I will let you speak to your fiancée,” Raven said as she stood from her bed.  “Goodnight, Tim,” she said, leaving the room.

            “Night,” Tim muttered.  “Hello?” he answered his phone, not turning away from the door.  Raven had addressed him by his name, and it threw him for a loop.  Even while Cassie spoke, the sound of his name on Raven’s lips was all that his mind was able to register for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

             The next morning, Tim sat outdoors on the balcony overlooking the hotel pool.  He tapped his pen on the table, rapidly while resting his head on his fist.  “Good morning.”  Startled, he looked up to see Raven walking towards him.  Alone. 

“Where is your grandmother?” Tim asked.

“Azar would like to sleep in this morning,” Raven answered as she sat across from Tim.

“Is everything okay?” Tim immediately grew worried.

“Oh, she is fine,” Raven waved Tim off with her hand.  “She is just preparing for the rest of this…trip.”

“Wow,” Tim smiled at her before relaxing back in his chair.

“What?” Raven asked with a shrug.

“That’s the first time you’ve referred to this trip in a non-negative way.”

“Do not read too much into it,” Raven said.  Her violet eyes than squinted as she studied him closely.  “What is wrong with you?” she asked.  “You seem…grumpy.”

“Grumpy?”

“Or tense.  Bothered.  Perturbed.  Irritable- “

“I know what you mean,” Tim interrupted her, “I don’t understand why you think I’m…tense.”

“Everything about your posture,” Raven gestured with one hand.  “Your eyes are…harder.  Your back is stiff, and you are not your naively optimistic self.  You are tapping your pen on the table,” she pointed out.  Tim looked down.  Sure enough, he was tapping his pen on the table. 

“So?” he shrugged, hiding his intrigue.

“I have noticed you only tap your pen when you are focused intently on something.  There is no map in front of you, your journal is closed.  So, the tapping has nothing to do with this trip.  Perhaps it could be something I said last night; but you were obnoxiously happy when I left your room.  The only other thing that happened that I am aware of is the phone call with your fiancée.  Unless of course something happened after that call.”  Tim stared at her, nearly slack-jawed.  How did she – she’d only been there for maybe two minutes.  Not even Cassie could read him as well as Raven just did.  Raven- this gorgeous, beautiful, obnoxious, rich brat who he wasn’t attracted to in any way…was reading him like he was an open book.  He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Um…” Tim shook himself out of his thoughts.  “Yeah.  My fiancée…ex-fiancée,” he emphasized.  Raven’s eyes widened.  She had not been expecting that.  “We mutually decided to call of the engagement,” he finished.

“Da idi ty!  I mean…what?” Raven’s eyes widened.  “Last night?”

“Yeah.”

“On the phone?”

 “Yep,” Tim nodded.

“Oh,” Raven frowned, “that is why you are upset.”

“Actually, no, not really,” he answered slowly, “it was something else she said.  And I’m upset that it didn’t bother me.”

“What did she say?”

“She admitted to hooking up with some guy the night before.”

“Oh, wow!” Raven was taken aback.  “Wow.  I was not expecting that at all.  Wow.  Are you okay?” she asked in a shockingly caring voice.

“Yeah,” Tim laughed.  “It genuinely doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Strange.  Is hooking up with guys something she did often?”

“No,” Tim answered quickly.  “No…not that I know of.  However, my problem is, I felt nothing when she told me.  Nothing.  I wasn’t upset at all.”

 “Oh.  So, you are upset that you feel nothing for this girl who cheated on you?” Raven asked in confusion.

“No,” Tim replied, “I’m upset because…”  Looking intently at Raven, Tim leaned further onto the table, paying no attention to the flecks of dark blue that seemed to give her eyes their violet color.  “All my life, many people have accused me of being emotionless and uncaring.  Robotic, even,” he frowned, “I’m worried they’re right.  And if they’re right…I do want to fall in love with someone, I’m not gonna lie.  I remember how much my parents loved each other and I…I want that.  But if I am truly someone who cannot process or become emotionally attached to anyone…there is no hope for me.”

“Well,” Raven began slowly, “I do not know who accused you of being…robotic, but they are wrong.  These past several days I have seen you display a myriad of emotions.  I have seen you happy, sad, angry, and disgusted.  Those last three were directed at me.”  Tim tilted his head as he listened to her.  “And, if you were truly as unfeeling as you believe yourself to be, we wouldn’t be on this…endeavor to find my grandmother’s lost love from almost 50 years ago.” Tim listened intently, leaning forward a bit more.  “I do not know why you and Cassie were engaged if neither of you is upset about this broken engagement, but you must not have liked her as much as you hoped you would.”  Raven slowly put a comforting hand on Tim’s pen-tapping hand, but she immediately withdrew after a split second.  Tim, no longer tapping, stared at the hand Raven had just touched.  “Tim,” Raven got his attention, “you are not a robot.  Smart?  Yes.  Naively optimistic?  Yes.  Annoying?  Yes.  Disgustingly happy?  Yes.”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Tim stopped her with a laugh.

“My point is, there is nothing unemotional about you, Tim.  Those people who said those things just do not know how to look.”

“Wow,” Tim said, “that is the nicest thing you have said.  It’s also the longest I’ve heard you speak.”

“I will admit, uttering that many words has exhausted me, but you looked like a depressed puppy.”  Tim laughed at her description.  His mood had shifted.  “Did you discuss anything else?” Raven asked curiously.

“Well…”

(Last night…)

     “So, I guess we should call off the wedding,” Tim said as he leaned on the balcony’s railing.

     “I guess so,” Cassie sighed.  She then laughed bitterly.

     “What?” Tim asked.

     “I was going to comment on how annoying it’s gonna be to uninvite everyone.  Then I remembered- we never even set a date.”

     “Yeah,” Tim agreed.

     “You and I never talked about the wedding.  I don’t even have wedding magazines to throw out.”  Tim remained silent.  “Even now, we’ve spent no time together since we arrived; and both of us are okay with it.”  Tim remained silent, looking out at the stars.  “You and I, we really worked better as friends,” Cassie finished.

     “Yeah.”

     “You aren’t upset, are you,” Cassie stated.

     “No, I’m not,” Tim replied, “and that’s just another reason why we shouldn’t marry.  You cheated on me, and I honestly couldn’t care less.  This engagement was becoming more and more like a business arrangement.”

     “You summed it up perfectly.  But I am sorry.  No matter my feelings towards you, I still shouldn’t have slept with him.”

     “Cassie,” Tim spoke softly, “it really is fine.  I honestly have no feelings on the matter.”  He paused.  “Wow, I really am an android with no emotions.”

     “Don’t be so dramatic,” he could hear the eye-roll in her voice, “I can sense your emotions from the texts about this girl.  She seems to have gotten under your skin.”

     “She is so annoying.  Holy crap!  One minute I want to slap her, and the next I want to ki- “he froze.  Cassie chuckled.

     “See,” Cassie said, “you aren’t a robot or an android.  You just needed someone like you.”

     “I don’t think we’re similar.  I mean, I’m not an obnoxious rich kid wearing over-priced sandals, am I?”

     “No,” Cassie chuckled.

     “Not every word out of my mouth is dripping with sarcasm and derision.”

     “Every word?”

     “And I don’t have a pessimistic view of the world!  And me wanting to find Azar’s lost love does not make me naively optimistic!  I’m just a decent human being trying to help an old woman find closure!  What’s wrong with that?” he finished out of breath.

     “Wow,” Cassie said, “I have never heard you speak with so much emotion.”  Tim didn’t have a response.  “Tim,” Cassie gasped, “I think this girl may be the one for you!”

     “No,” Tim denied indignantly.  “Nope.  You don’t understand.  She has zero emotions; she thinks she’s so smart and knows everything about everything; she always argues with me.  I think we’ve had one normal, calm conversation.  And it happened 10 minutes ago.  She was oddly docile, and it was disturbing.  I mean, I think she even smiled.  And it was a nice smile.  Small, most people probably would have missed it, but it was there.  Oh, and her eyes, Cassie, they are this amazing purple-ish violet color.  I don’t know how to describe them, but they are so big.  It’s adorable.  And she smells good all the time.  She is very intelligent and very philanthropic.  So…yeah.” Tim paused.  “What was the question?”

     “I didn’t ask a question,” Cassie giggled, “you were listing the reasons why you weren’t attracted to this girl.”

     “Well…there.  I listed them.”  Cassie laughed loudly.  “You know,” Tim continued, “this is the longest we’ve talked about something not related to our jobs.”

     “You noticed that, too?”

     “Yeah.”

     “Man, our marriage would have sucked!” Cassie exclaimed.

     “Well, hindsight is always 20/20.”

     “Yeah.”  Cassie sighed.  “Well, if I don’t see you again on this trip- “

     “Cassie,” Tim said, “you’re still my friend.  Feel free to use the villa and the plane, whatever you need.”

     “Thank you, Tim, but I’ll probably be here for at least another 3 weeks.  I am learning so much.”

     “Well, good luck with everything.”

     “You too, Tim.  Keep me updated on your relationship.”

     “Goodbye, Cassie.”

(Present)

            “We didn’t talk about anything interesting afterwards,” Tim lied.  “The conversation was pretty short.”

“So…congratulations on your broken engagement,” Raven said with a mischievous smile.

“Thank you,” Tim replied in kind.

“What will you do?”

“Well, I plan to finish what I started with you and your grandmother.  And then…go back to work at Way-office building.”

“You work for a company called ‘Way-office’?” Raven questioned skeptically with a furrowed brow.

“Yes,” Tim answered slowly.

“Okay,” Raven replied, raising one expertly shaped brow.  She clearly didn’t believe him.  Anyway,” Raven stood, “there was another reason I came over here.  There is a mercati rionali within walking distance.  Would you like to join me?”

“Thank you for the offer,” Tim smiled kindly, hiding his surprise at the unexpected invitation, “but no thank you.  I’m thinking about trying out the pool.”  Raven turned around and looked down at the pool. 

“You mean to try out the water or the females wearing bikinis by the water?” she asked him.  Tim was about to protest when he saw a twinkle in her eye.  She was messing with him. 

“Ha, ha,” was his retort.  Raven only smirked before walking away.  “Raven,” Tim called out before she could walk more than a few feet, “thank you.”  Raven nodded once.  “Actually,” Tim added before she could take another step, “I think I’ll join you.  I have never seen a mercati rionali.  It should be adventurous.”

“I would not describe our trip to the market as adventurous, but knowing you, you will find a way to make it interesting.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment.”

Chapter Text

            They had been strolling for two hours, and Tim was having the time of his life.  Raven was…different.  He was beginning to see what Azar meant when she said, deep down.  Raven was prickly on the outside, but so much fun on the inside.  She was intelligent.  She really loved art.  She was kind, caring, and funny.  Her smile was small but contagious.  Her eyes would light up when she saw something cute or exciting.  Tim couldn’t believe the Raven in front of him was the same Raven he’d met a week ago.

Raven took his breath away every time she looked at him.  His heart raced with every laugh and smile she threw his way.  And every time his name left her lips, he had to resist the urge to kiss her.  Being this close to her, talking with her, made him feel things he’d never felt before.  He was feeling butterflies for the first time.  The feeling was unpleasant, but he didn’t mind.  He’d face the unpleasantness every day if it meant seeing this side of Raven.

It was close to noon when Raven suggested they head back.  Although Tim wasn’t ready for his time alone with Raven to end, he had to admit that he was growing tired.  It grew quiet between the two.  It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but Tim wanted her to keep speaking.  So, as they were leaving the mercati rionali, Tim asked about her work with languages.  Ten minutes later, Raven was explaining the Azarathian language to him.

So focused on each other, neither one of them saw the little boy who barreled into Raven’s legs, nearly knocking her over.  “Woah!” Raven exclaimed.  It was a reflex.  Tim’s body reacted without his permission.  Tim immediately caught her before she could fall.  Now, he had an arm wrapped around Raven’s waist, pinning her to his body.  His heart raced in his chest as he stared into violet-blue eyes.  She smelled so good.  Vanilla and lilac were his new favorite scents.  He cleared his throat as he tried not to think about her soft body pressed against his hard one.  And he was definitely not paying attention to the feeling of her breasts against his chest – breasts that he felt move with every inhale and exhale Raven took because she was breathing as heavily as he was.  And he was certainly not imagining other things. 

“Um,” Tim said having lost his ability to speak.  He couldn’t look her in the eyes.  Tim eyes darted to her lips as his breath quickened.  His eyes shot back to hers.  He needed to focus on her eyes.  “Are you okay?” he finally asked breathlessly.

“Y-y-yeah,” Raven breathed.  “You’re – you are fast.  You – your – reflexes,” she stuttered.

“Thank you,” Tim smiled, “I do martial arts.  Um…mixed martial arts.”

“That’s cool,” Raven replied.

“Yeah,” he said.  Clearing his throat, he slowly released Raven before he could make this whole thing any more awkward.  His hand unconsciously went to hers.  “Are you okay?” he asked again, looking her up and down.

“I am fine, Tim,” Raven gave him a gentle smile.  “That child came running out of nowhe-“  Her voice cut off when, presumably, the child’s mother rushed over to them, apologizing profusely.  The mom then turned to the little boy, who was maybe 4, and began rebuking him in Italian.  Tim only smiled as a memory of his mother doing the same thing played in the back of his mind.

Tim was about to let the young mother know that everything was okay, when a silver-haired man immediately joined the mother.  From what Tim could understand, the little boy had run off when his mom stopped to tie her shoe.  Tim turned to say something to Raven but froze.  She had a peculiar look on her face.  “Are you okay?” he nudged her gently before following her gaze to the young family. 

The white-haired, shockingly young man, turned to Tim while saying, “Faccio le mie scu-“ The man stopped abruptly, his already pale face turning even whiter, making his bright green eyes stand out even more.  The man stared at Raven, who, Tim noticed, seemed to be in a daze. 

The mother, now finished scolding her child, stood up to say something.  Nothing came out of her mouth when she noticed Raven.  Instead, the young mother’s bright blue eyes only widened as multiple emotions crossed her face.  The atmosphere became ice cold.  Tim didn’t know what was about to happen, but it wasn’t good.

The man’s mouth snapped shut as guilt, recognition, and embarrassment rushed across his face.  “Rahichelle?” he spoke hesitantly. Raven snapped out of her frozen stupor, saying nothing.  Her gaze grew hard as she looked from the man to the blonde-woman, to the little boy who was distracted by everything else. 

“So,” Raven spoke in clear, simple English.  “I hear congratulations are in order,” Raven spoke coldly, a tone Tim hadn’t heard at all on this venture.  Tim looked at Raven in shock. Whoever these people were – this wasn’t going to be good.  “You married the shlyucha.”  Tim flinched at Raven’s tone.  He didn’t understand that last word.  But, by the way Raven said it and how hard the couple flinched…he didn’t need to understand.

“Raven,” Tim said to Raven, willing her to look at him.  He had this sudden urge to protect her.  “Raven,” he tried again, this time reaching for her hand, which was now a fist.  Her entire body was stiff.  She was as still as a statue.  Tim knew from his brothers that if a woman became still as a statue and quiet, something was very wrong.

“I am surprised, though,” Raven continued, completely ignoring Tim.  “I thought for sure your father would object to this union, given his stance on bastards.”

“Woah!” Tim exclaimed before looking down at the child in horror.  He sighed in relief when he realized the child didn’t know any English.  But still… “Raven, what the hell?” Tim said angrily.  He was beginning to think this girl had a personality disorder.  Tim turned to the parents to apologize.  Shockingly, neither parent looked angered by the term Raven used.  If anything, they looked penitent.

“This is Tim,” Raven introduced. “And this,” she motioned to the couple, “is Terra and Malchior.  Terra is my ex-best friend from America, and Malchior is my ex-fiancé.  And the cute little boy is the child they conceived together, 4-months before my wedding.”  Tim felt like he’d been shot in the gut.  He felt nauseated.  “Only, I didn’t find out about this affair until the week before my wedding when I caught them mating in a closet during a rehearsal dinner”, Raven finished with a broken, watery smile.  

“Raven,” Malchior spoke contritely while Terra looked equally apologetic.

“Raven, we’re sorr-“ Terra began but was immediately silenced by Raven’s glare.  “We never meant to hurt you,” Terra supplied weakly.

“Huh,” Raven scoffed as a tear rolled down her cheek – a tear she didn’t seem to notice.  “Well,” Raven said in a broken voice, “it was very nice to catch up with you.  I wish you the best,” she said, in a more controlled voice, stepping through them.  “I hope everyone in your life shows you the same kindness you showed me.”  Raven walked away with the same amount of grace and poise she usually possessed.

“Um,” Tim said.  He and the couple exchanged awkward looks.  Thankfully, the little boy began pulling on his mother’s hand, pointing at a fruit stand.  “Uh…nice to meet you?” was the last thing Tim said before he ran to catch up with Raven.

            The silence between Raven and Tim as they walked back to the hotel was stifling.  He wanted to comfort Raven, but he didn’t know how.  Silent tears were streaming down her face, and she didn’t seem to notice.

            Since he couldn’t come up with a way to comfort her, Tim wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.  It wouldn’t hurt for him to bear the silence.

            They finally reached the hotel a long 10 minutes later.  Tim didn’t speak to Raven until they were alone in the elevator.  He turned to her.  Raven’s eyes were red and swollen; she was breathing heavily; and she kept clenching and unclenching her fists.  “Raven,” Tim began softly.  Raven shook her head emphatically.

“I do not want to talk about this,” she said, turning her head away from Tim.

“Um…okay, but if you do-“ The opening of the elevator doors cut him off. 

Raven quickly stepped into the hall, walking at a brisk pace.  Unfortunately for her, Tim’s long legs were more than adequate to keep up with her short strides.  “Hey,” Tim gently grabbed her hand as she stopped in front of her hotel room.  “It’s okay-“

“Raven!  Tim!” Azar greeted brightly as she threw her room door open.  “I was wondering where you two…,” her voice trailed off when she saw her granddaughter’s covered face.  “What happened?” Azar demanded of Tim with a frown.

“We ran into Malchior and Terra,” Tim answered.  Azar’s face fell as she pulled Raven into a hug, muttering in Azarathian.  Raven returned the hug, desperately.

“Thank you, Tim,” Azar thanked him as she led Raven into their shared room.  “I will take it from here.”

Tim turned away in a sort of stunned silence.  This feeling of protectiveness swelled in his chest.  He had no idea where it came from.  Clearly, there was more to the story.  Everything about Raven was beginning to make sense.  The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together.

             Tim sat alone during dinner, re-reading his notes from this trip.  He concentrated mostly on the ones he wrote about Raven.  His attitude and feelings towards Raven had changed drastically.  The first day of their trip, he referred to her as an “irritable, unavoidable, annoyance with pretty eyes.”  The third day he described her as a, “pretty know-it-all whose beautiful eyes held many secrets.”  His only entry from yesterday was, “Her scent does weird things to my stomach.”  So engrossed in his notes, Tim started when someone cleared their throat.  “Azar,” he greeted the older woman in surprise.  “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I see,” Azar smiled.  “I did not mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine,” Tim motioned for her to sit.  “How is Raven?” Tim asked after Azar settled gracefully in the chair.

 “She will be better come morning,” Azar smiled.  “Thank you for taking care of her.”

“I didn’t do much,” Tim’s mouth twisted.  He wanted to say more. 

“I can see there is a question you would like to ask,” Azar smiled.

“So much of your granddaughter makes sense now,” Tim spilled.  “I understand…she really is trying to protect you.  But…I don’t know how to explain it.  It was like…it was like…I think she dissociated briefly.  And I know what dissociation looks like, I did it quite often after the death of my parents.”

“It was not a pleasant experience,” Azar sighed heavily.  “If I had not witnessed the debacle myself, I would have thought it was an episode of one of those…telenovelas.  It destroyed her completely.  I brought her on this trip with me because I wanted my Raven back,” Azar folded her hands eloquently.  “Contrary to what you may think, Raven has said more to you than she has to anyone else these past two years.”

“Seriously?” Tim asked in disbelief.  “You mean, she’s not usually so…vocal with her opinions?”

“No, not since the break-up,” Azar gave him a small smile.  “It usually takes a lot of effort to get a reaction from her.  But, with you…it’s très neveroyatno.  Incredible!  The second I saw the dislike on her face, I knew you were the answer.  You have brought my granddaughter back to life.  Something I have not been able to accomplish.  You have done something mirabile – amazing.”

“I have?” Tim asked, feeling his cheeks redden at the praise.

“You made her feel, again,” Azar beamed.  “Raven has always felt deeply; she’s always been able to...” Azar searched for the word, “…pick-up on the emotions of others.  But, after the incident, she became blank…like numb.  She had no life in her.”

“So, you took this trip to get an emotional response out of Raven?”

“Not at first.  At first, I was not even going to invite her.  But then I felt this need to bring her.  So I guilted her into joining me.”  Tim smirked.  “And every time she looked at you or spoke to you, it was like a little piece of her was returning.  Now, she is finally facing her pain,” Azar sighed in relief.  “I know, seeing her exes today hurt her; but I believe only good can come from this.”  Tim nodded in understanding.  But no matter what, her teary face refused to leave his mind.

“I feel like there’s still more to the story,” Tim frowned.

“There is,” Azar answered as she stood to her feet, “but it is not my story to tell.”  Tim nodded.  “But,” Azar continued with a gleam in her eye, “if you search, in English, Roth Family Tragedies, you may find one or two gossip articles about the event.  It is a good place to start.”

“I will do that,” Tim replied without a second thought.  Azar gave him a kind smile.  “Thank you,” Tim said.

“No. Thank you, Tim,” Azar replied.

“I’m happy to help,” he smiled.

“Good night, Tim.”  Tim replied in kind. 

Five minutes after Azar left, Tim jumped to his feet, and rushed to his room. He loved research.  He lived for research.  An hour later, all he could say was, “Holy crap!”  Raven’s life was, in simple terms, a telenovela.

Chapter Text

Fourteen years ago, Ms. Rahichelle and her mother, Mrs. Arella Roth [6 months pregnant at the time], were in a tragic car accident.  Nine-year-old Rahichelle survived; her mother did not.  Not even a week later, the young Mr. Trigon Roth had a heart attack and died en route to the hospital.  Ms. Rahichelle and her older half-brother, Mr. Justice-Mikhail, were left as sole heirs to the Roth empire, with matriarch Azar receiving full custody.

Tim continued scrolling, clicking on article after article, video after video.  Firstly, Raven’s family was loaded.  With all of the charities she ran and all of the recreational buildings she single-handedly financed, there was no way her family wasn’t almost as rich as Bruce’s. 

Secondly, Raven was an adorable little girl.  “Aww,” Tim smiled fondly as he stared at a photo of her and her mother years before the accident.

Thirdly, the paparazzi in Azarath was worse than the paparazzi and Gotham.  It got so bad, Raven disappeared from the public’s eye for almost 6 years… according to the subtitles of the video he was watching.

Talk show host #1:  Now we all deal with grief differently.

Talk show co-hosts #2 & 3: (Nodding in agreement.)

Talk show host #1:  But it’s been over 5 years, and Rahichelle still hasn’t made a public appearance.

Talk show co-host #2:  Maybe she’s turned into a vampire.

(Laughter)

Talk show co-host #3:  Meanwhile, we have Justice-Mikhail Roth on date number 14 this week.  (A photo of Justice surrounded by males and females appeared on the big screen.)  Now, I don’t know if this is fitting behavior for the heir and CEO of Roth International.

Talk show co-host #2:  Oh, give him a break, Ariadne.  He’s lost 3 parents.

Talk show host #1:  Four, if you count his mother.

Ariadne (co-host #2):  Yes, but can we really consider Gaia to be a mother?  I mean, what was Trigon thinking when he hooked up with an addict?

Talk show co-host #3:  It was a one-night stand, Domitia (said with laughter).

Domitia (host #1):  I know.  I know.  I know.  Poor little rich boy.  But I have to ask, how many sex partners do you think Justice has had?

(Ariadne and co-host #3 make negative noises)

Talk show co-host #3:  Come on, Domitia, let’s move on.

Domitia:  Oh, Zeno, we all know you wish you were in his shoes.

Zeno (co-host #3):  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I’m much more interested in Rahichelle’s whereabouts.  She’s more-

            Tim clicked on another tab, another article, another gossip column.

It seems Miss Rahichelle has found love.  In the picture below, you can see 14-year-old Rahichelle with a mysterious, white-haired gentleman.  This is the young heiress’ first public appearance in many, many years.

Who is this guy?  Where did he come from?  How did they meet?  And where has Rahichelle Roth been hiding all of these years?

Raven brought her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth in the shower.  Two years.  She’d gone two years without speaking, thinking, their names.  But it was all coming back to her.  She didn’t want to remember, but her mind wasn’t giving her a choice.

“Have you seen my Maid-of-Honor?” Rahichelle asked her bridesmaid, Jimena.

“Sorry, philio,” Jimena replied.  “Last I saw, she was looking for you.”

“Hmm,” Rahichelle frowned.  Where was she?  They were already running late, but Rahichelle didn’t want to start her rehearsal dinner without her best friend.

Rahichelle and Malchior’s Relationship Timeline.

Tim clicked on the link immediately.  He was in full investigator mode.  He was finally figuring out the mystery that was Raven.

Age 14 – Rahichelle first spotted with mystery man.

• Malchior attends an art show featuring the works of Rahichelle Empanda Roth.

Tim whistled at the photos showcasing Raven’s art.  She was extremely – impossibly talented.  She had to be some sort of prodigy.

Age 15 – Malchior attends New Year’s Eve Ball with Rahichelle. 

• Rahichelle attends prom with her date, Malchior.

Age 16 – Rahichelle spends summer in America.  Alone.  Breakup on the horizon?

• Rahichelle greets Malchior at the airport with a big kiss. Mysterious blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in tow.
• Rahichelle and Malchior wave goodbye to their new friend, Terra, as she boards the plane.

Age 17 – Rahichelle and Malchior to attend separate colleges abroad.

• Rahichelle visits Azarath with friend Terra, greeting Malchior with a kiss.
• Rahichelle spends summer days at the company with Azar.

Age 18 – Rahichelle attends gala on the arm of half-brother?  Goodbye romance?

• Rahichelle makes up with boyfriend.
• Malchior drops Rahichelle off at the airport, but not before giving her a very dramatic, public kiss.

Ages 19 & 20 – Nothing too exciting. 

• Rahichelle and Malchior make mandatory appearances at balls, galas, ribbon cuttings, etc.

Age 21 – HE PROPOSED!

Raven sat under hot water, ignoring the burning of her skin.  She was finally going to do it.  She was finally going to remember everything.

“Cucciolo,” Azar stopped her, “we need to start.  The food is getting cold.”

            “I know, Avia,” Rahichelle answered, “I’m just going to find Terra.”

            “And Malchior.  He’s disappeared, too.”     

Age 22 – Wedding date set.

• Even more public appearances. The couple is seen everywhere.
• Party girl, Terra, arrives in Azarath to support her best friend’s wedding. Terra is Maid-of-Honor.

            Rahichelle was walking as fast as she could in her high-heels, pausing when she heard noises in the coat closet.  What was going on?  This part of the mansion was supposed to be vacant, as this was where their living quarters were.  Flinging the door open, Rahichelle felt her whole world dissipate as a sharp pain entered her chest.  She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.  She slowly backed away, her hands covering her mouth in horror.  This had to be a bad dream – a nightmare.

            “But it wasn’t,” Raven cried softly as she remembered that moment in great detail.  “It was real.”

Age 23 – BREAKING NEWS!  Wedding called off!!!!!

• Malchior impregnates Terra! Justice-Mikhail, furious, nearly breaks Malchior’s jaw.

BREAKING NEWS!  Heartbroken Rahichelle drives car into ditch.  Miraculously, walks away unscathed.  Azar nicely asks Malchior to leave the country.

            “Raven,” Terra stammered.  “It’s not what it looks like.”

            Rahichelle sat on the floor, staring straight ahead.  Everything felt numb.  This couldn’t be happening.  This…this couldn’t be happening.  Malchior would never…not with Terra.

            “What’s going on?” her brother appears.  “Rahichelle, why are you on the floor?”

            What happened next was a blur.  Justice lunged at Malchior while Terra watched with tears running down her face.  “I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Terra kept muttering.  People came running from every direction.  Rahichelle felt her brother wrap his arm around her and lead her out of the room.

            “Just – Justi…” Rahichelled stuttered.

            “It’s okay,” her brother reassured her, “just breathe.”

            Rahichelle’s head was spinning.  She was going to puke.

            “What is going on?” Azar asked, approaching the siblings.  “What’s with all the commotion.  Rahichelle, you look ill.”

            Rahichelle tuned out her brother’s voice as he explained the situation.  Her stomach was churning, and black dots floated in her vision.  A horrific pain sliced through her abdomen.  Azar’s scream was the last thing she heard before sinking into oblivion.

            The tears flowed faster as Raven continued to remember.

            Rahichelle lay in her bed, facing the wall.  She hadn’t uttered a single word in 24 hours.  The doctors and surgeons had left.  She felt so empty inside.  The press was, once again, camped out across the street from their estate.  Azar said she would handle them.  A wicked thought crossed Rahichelle’s mind.  Grabbing her phone, Rahichelle decided someone had to pay for Malchior’s mistakes.  And she was willing to bring his entire family down with him.

BREAKING NEWS!

            A credible source from inside the Roth Estate has released documents proving that Malchior is the bastard son of Count Rorek III.  The Count has yet to provide a comment.  But Malchior’s mother is holding nothing back, even commenting on the day she told the Count she was with child.  He immediately took her to a clinic to terminate the pregnancy, but, after promising to never contact him again, the Count let her go.

            Also, the same anonymous source has confirmed that American citizen, Terra Markov, is three months pregnant with Malchior’s child.  Seems like the apple does not fall far from the tree.

            Raven sobbed, her tears mingling with the shower water.  This was her first time sobbing in years.  It sucked.  Her heart was breaking all over again, and she could barely handle the pain.

            Raven sat underneath the hot water.  The weeks following that horrible day were the worst weeks of her life, second to the death of her parents.  She clutched her stomach as her sobs grew louder.  Only her brother, Azar, and a couple of well-paid medical staff knew what happened that night. 

            The media wondered why she hadn’t recovered from Malchior’s betrayal after two years.  They didn’t know that her fiancé and best-friend weren’t the only ones she lost that day.

            A strange feeling began to bubble up in her throat, something she wished she had done long ago.  Taking a deep breath, Raven released a heart-wrenching scream, letting the pain of the past finally flow through her before leaving her body.

            Tim turned off his laptop.  What a… story… life?  As Azar said, he could see it being a plotline in a telenovela.  He couldn’t begin to imagine the pain she was in, although… he still felt something was being left out.  “No, no, no,” he shook his head.  He would not bother Raven about this.  He would wait for her to come to him.  As much as he wanted to snoop, he wouldn’t.  He was done with hacking.

            Tim slowly eyed his laptop before lunging for it.  A little snooping never hurt anybody.

            Raven sat on the bathroom floor, all out of tears.  Her acquaintance, Kori, always talked about having a good cry.  Raven never knew what she meant until now.  That was a “good cry”; one she hoped to never have again.

            Raven shakily stood to her feet.  Her legs felt like Jell-O.  The mirrors had long cleared of steam.  How long had she been on the floor?  Scratch that – how long had she been in the bathroom?

            After the unfortunate run-in with the exes, Azar had sat Raven down and began trying to comfort her.  Raven excused herself and went to the bathroom, where she cried for almost an hour.  She reemerged exhausted.  She took a very long nap.  When she awoke, Azar was on the phone with investors.  Raven had decided on a bath…then a shower…then another bath…then another shower.  Then she sat on the bathroom floor.  And now…wrapping her fancy robe around her, Raven threw the bathroom door open.   She crossed the small living room into her grandmother’s room.  “Avia?” Raven called out as she knocked on her door.

            “Come in, sweetheart,” Azar answered.  “Well, good morning,” she greeted as Raven entered her room.

            “Morning?” Raven’s eyes widened in horror.

            “Yes, that nap you took lasted for almost 6 hours.  You were in the bathroom for another 6.”

            “I didn’t realize how exhausted my body was.”

            “I did, and so did your brother.”  Raven gave her grandmother a questioning look.  “Raven,” Azar gestured for Raven to sit on the bed.  Raven complied.  “Ever since the…incident, you have been working yourself to death.  When you’re not working, you’re tutoring.  When you’re not tutoring, you’re overseeing my charities.  You’ve done pro bono work for multiple museums, and now this job in America…honey, you need to sleep.”

            “I sleep,” Raven frowned.

            “Raven, sleeping three hours a day is not sleeping.  Even since we’ve been here, you’ve been biting your nails, reading books, doing crosswords in foreign languages.  And don’t think I haven’t noticed you doing your brother’s work.  He is in charge of Roth International.  He should be running the company.  Not you.”

            “This isn’t a vacation,” Raven replied, “it’s a treasure hunt to find your true love from almost 100 years ago.”

            Azar scowled.  “I’m 65.  I am neither old nor decrepit.”

            “Same thing,” Raven smirked.

            “My point,” Azar rolled her eyes, “I’m glad you and Tim ran into he-who-shall-not-be-named.   It was time.  You were losing weight, losing sleep, there were dark circles around your eyes…Justice was planning an intervention.”

            “With whom?”

            “I don’t know,” Azar rubbed her forehead, “I don’t know how he does it.  Party every night, but sober enough to work come morning.  It’s impressive.”  Raven nodded in agreement.  “Raven,” Azar held Raven’s hands in hers, “we will not be hunting for Leonardo today.  I want you to relax in bed.”

            “I- “

            “No,” Azar held up her index finger.  “I’ve already made my decision.  I’ve already told Tim.”

            “But, I’m fi- “

            “For me,” Azar looked deep into her granddaughter’s beautiful eyes.  “Rest for me.”

            “Okay,” Raven relented,

            Azar knocked on Tim’s door around 8 a.m. to let him know they would be taking a break today.  So, Tim spent his day doing work for Wayne Enterprises.  And he was in heaven.  Charts, graphs, stock market reports – he missed it all.  He nearly burst into tears of joy when Bruce finally emailed him a budget proposal to go over.  And, because Tim finished looking it over in record time, Bruce emailed him even more work.  And then more work.  And then even more work.

            That is how Tim spent his Friday - pouring over papers and reports, only stopping when Bruce threatened to lock him out of Wayne Enterprises permanently.  Tim reminded Bruce that he was an excellent hacker.  Five minutes later, Alfred called him.

            Now, Tim sat on his bed, staring blankly at a TV, having finished several of his novels.  He was bored, and there were still three hours left in the day.  Tim groaned dramatically.  He was going to die of boredom. 

Just when he thought he was about to have a mental breakdown, someone knocked on his hotel door.  Tim sprung from the bed and reached the door in three giant strides.  Swinging it open without looking through the peephole, Tim stared in confusion at the girl standing at his door.  He didn’t recognize her, but he felt that he should.

She was short.  Her black/blue hair fell to her shoulders in beach waves.  Her shorts reached mid-thigh.  She wore a flowy, black crop top which showed the skin below her belly button where the bottom of a dangling belly button ring was seen.  Her ensemble was completed by a pair of expensive black army boots.

Tim finally looked her in the eye, and he nearly had a heart attack.  He gaped at her as she shuffled in place, clearly uncomfortable with his stare.  “Raven!!!” he nearly shouted.

“Um…hi,” she shyly tucked her hair behind her ear.  Tim said nothing, so she continued.  “I was going to walk through the hotel’s garden.  Did you want to come with me?  My grandmother said you have been stuck in your room all day.”

Tim blinked.  She looked the same but different; he couldn’t figure out why.

“Tim?” Raven called his name softly.

“Y-Yeah,” Tim stuttered, “yeah.  Let’s go,” he gave her a half-smile.  Tim’s smile grew when he saw a soft blush fill her cheeks.

“Well, come on,” Raven gestured with a bejeweled hand.  At least eight rings adorned the fingers on her right hand. 

Tim stepped into the hallway in a daze.  This was Raven.  He knew this was Raven.  But he couldn’t help but ask himself, Does Raven have a split personality?  Well, he was about to find out.

Raven silently walked beside Tim, glancing at him here and there.  Every now and then, they’d make eye contact, resulting in both quickly turning away to hide their respective blushes.

“So,” Raven finally broke the quiet, wrapping her arms around herself protectively, “about yesterday…”

“You don’t have to tell me, Raven,” Tim stopped and reached out, gently touching her arm.  “You don’t owe me any explanation.  I mean, I’ve already done some pretty extensive research. Azar pointed me in the right direction.  But you don’t…” his voice trailed off as a breeze blew through Raven’s hair.  Tim felt his chest constrict.  The weird feeling in his stomach returned.  “I…I know enough.  We don’t have to talk about it.”

Raven nodded once and continued walking.  Tim strolled beside her.  “There is one thing the media did not know about.”  She chuckled.  “You probably noticed that there seemed to be gaps here and there.”

“I did,” Tim admitted as they continued slowly along the path, “but it really isn’t my business.  Raven,” Tim gently grabbed her hand.  His heart began to beat faster.  Raven looked up at him, and Tim couldn’t look away from her lips.  They looked so soft.  “R-R-Raven,” he forcefully dragged his blue eyes to her violet ones, “you owe me nothing.”

“But what if I want you to know?” she asked quietly.

“Any secret you tell me is safe with me,” Tim stated resolutely.  “I promise.”

Raven nodded.

Tim turned to start walking, but then Raven whispered, “I was pregnant.”  Tim hoped his face didn’t show pity because he was suddenly flooded with pity.  “Malchior did not – does not know.  I was going to tell him on our honeymoon, but then…”

“You have a child?”

“No,” Raven looked at him as tears began to fill her eye.  “I miscarried that night.”  Tim didn’t know what to say.  Raven continued, looking away from him.  “People talk about heartbreak like it is an idea, not something felt.  But…I felt it,” Raven lifted a hand to her chest.  “My chest hurt.  I was in so much pain.”  A single tear rolled down her cheek.  “I do not remember everything that happened.  But…I know I became very sick.  I did not utter a single word for at least a week.”

“Raven,” Tim whispered.  His heart ached for her.

“I think, I felt more stupid than anything,” Raven sniffed rather elegantly, “no one marries their childhood sweetheart.  I was crazy for thinking- “

“No,” Tim interrupted her.  His voice came out sterner than he would have liked, but he continued.  “What he did to you – what your so-called ‘friends’ put you through, that’s on them.  You are not stupid or crazy for falling in love.”  Raven turned away.  “I’m serious,” Tim gently turned her head back to him.  “You did nothing to warrant being cheated on.  You gave someone your heart.  Instead of protecting it – what they did is and was unacceptable.  You are not stupid,” Tim gently wiped tears from her face with his thumb.  “You are not weak.”

Raven couldn’t look away from Tim’s piercing stare.  She felt her cheeks heat as a familiar warmth pooled in her lower belly, and she began to panic as a new horror filled her.  Raven wrapped her fingers around Tim’s wrists.  No, she thought, her heart racing wildly in her chest, no.  She took a step back as she gently removed Tim’s hands from her face.  Tim stared at her in confusion.  “Sorry,” Raven smiled shakily as she lowered his hands, “I do not like being touched too much.”

Tim nodded, seemingly accepting what she said.  “So,” he cleared his throat, his arms going back to his sides as they continued their midnight stroll, “this is new.”

“What is?”

“Your style,” he pointed out with a smile.

“Oh,” Raven paused, looking down at herself, “razvye?  Really?”

“Well…your rings,” Tim reached for her hand, but immediately stopped himself.  She didn’t like being touched.

Raven, however, lifted her hands and inspected her fingers.  “Yeah,” she smiled, “I used to wear rings all of the time.  I bring them everywhere with me.  I am not sure why.  But, what else about my outfit is different.  I think I look the same.  My nails still appear manicured even though I have chewed on them a bit.”

“Maybe, it’s your overall demeanor,” Tim suggested, trying to make sense of the personality change.

“How do you mean?” Raven looked up at him with wide eyes.

“W-Well,” Tim stuttered.  Raven’s eyes shone like amethyst stones in the moonlight, and… had her lips always been that plump?  “I-I mean, your hair.”

“My…hair?” Raven brought a hand up to her hair and mussed it.

Tim gulped.  She wasn’t even trying to look sexy, and yet… “You seem more relaxed,” he sighed.

“Oh,” Raven said before they continued their stroll.  “I guess, I am.  I do feel less tense…I think.”

“You think?”

“I mean, I never got closure.  I never asked why they did it.  The day I caught them was the last day I saw or even spoke to them.  Seeing them…it felt like the stitches I put in place were being removed.  I don’t know,” Raven frowned.  “Maybe I do need a face-to-face.  But I do not want to hire a PI.”

“Well…,” Tim dragged out the word.  “I may have done something that may or may not be illegal in this country.”

“What did you do?” Raven asked with a raised brow.

“Well…at a very young age I learned that I was exceptionally good at hacking.”

“Hacking?” Raven repeated.

“I…know where they live.”

“Shto mislisa?  I mean…what?  How?”

“It was surprisingly easy.  I have access to their bank accounts and everything,” Tim muttered.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Not knowing what overcame him, Tim stepped into her space as his hand lightly settled on her waist.  He leaned down so his mouth was by her ear.  “Just in case you ever want closure,” Tim whispered in a slightly flirtatious manner.

Raven tried to control the heat filling her cheeks, failing miserably.  He wasn’t flirting with her.  He just… he didn’t…  “I should get back to my…um…to Azar.  We are going to continue our search tomorrow, yes?”

Tim nodded as they continued their stroll in comfortable silence.

Chapter Text

             Tim was beginning to lose hope.  They had spent the day in Scienna, chasing several leads.  One of those leads turned out to be a dog named Leonardo Rossi.  Tim was sure the owner was into some shady stuff.  What other reason would there be for a dog to have his credit line?  He gripped the steering wheel.  He was getting tired, and Azar was getting weary.  He glanced at her in the passenger’s seat.  Not once on this trip did she seem so forlorn, so broken.

“Maybe you were right, cucciolo,” Azar turned her head to Raven, “this was a waste of time.”

“Huh,” Raven scoffed, “we are not giving up now.” 

Tim nearly had a heart attack.  What!!!!  He looked over to Azar, who seemed equally, if not more, surprised.

“You did not drag me across Italia just so we can give up,” Raven continued.

Tim looked at her through the rearview mirror.  Her face was impassive.  A raised eyebrow was the only evidence of emotion on her beautiful face.

“We have not hunted down all of the Leonardo Rossi’s,” Raven folded her arms.  “I refuse to return to Azarath, emptyhanded, having wasted my time on a fruitless endeavor, baba, I refuse.”

Tim shook his head.  What!!!!  He honestly thought her personality switch from last night had been a dream.  Of course, there was a good chance he was dreaming right now and didn’t know it. 

From the corner of his eye, he could see Azar slowly turn to look at Raven.  Good, he wasn’t the only one confused by this strange behavior.

“Are you feeling okay?” Azar asked her granddaughter.  “Tei malato?  Sei bolen?  Febrem?”

”Nyet, nonno-avia,” Raven replied in her native tongue.

“Does Tim need to pull over so you can vomit?”

“Amagi!” Raven exclaimed in horror, and Tim had to bite back a chuckle.  “I am not ill!  I do not have a fever, and I do not need to vomit!  I am simply trying to be encouraging.”

“Oh,” Azar righted herself.  “I appreciate the effort but warn us next time.  It is strange when you agree with me.”

Raven began mumbling in Azarathian, much to Azar’s delight.

“Tim,” Azar said, “tell us about your family.”

“My family?” Tim echoed.

“Yes.  And then, Raven can tell you about our family.  This way, you can get to know each other.”

“Leave Tim alone,” Raven answered before Tim could reply.  “He is driving.  He doesn’t want or need to know about our family.”

“Nonsense,” Azar smiled.  “Take us back to the hotel, Tim.  And tell us all about your life as you do say.”

Tim chuckled.  “Okay.  Well, as you know, my parents were murdered….”

Tim sat at the poolside table with a sigh.  They’d tracked down a total of 10 Leonardo’s, and the defeat was beginning to get to him.  He had spent the last few hours of the drive talking about his family without giving away any names - changing the real names of his family to fake names.   So, Bruce was Thomas; Richard was Dick; Cassandra was Cass; Jason was Jay; Damian was ‘the brat’”; and Duke was, well, just Duke.  (The adoption was still being finalized.  His identity was still hidden from the public.)

But Tim didn’t realize how significant a part of his life his family was part of until he had to omit things so as not to give away his identity.  He was still working the whole “last story” angle, not that Azar and Raven believed it at this point.  Tim wasn’t that great of a liar, and Azar and Raven weren’t idiots.  So…he leaned back in his chair.  He was ready to throw in the towel.

“Giving up?” a voice interrupted his train of thought.  Tim turned to see Raven standing a couple of feet away.  She studied him with a tilt of her head and an ice cream cone in her hand.

“Hey,” Tim greeted, motioning for her to sit.  “And no, I am not giving up?”

“You looked so defeated,” Raven replied before licking her ice cream.

Tim gulped.  He tried not to pay attention to her pink tongue, but he couldn’t help it!  “What are you eating?” he asked stupidly with a crack in his voice.

Raven’s eyes widened at him as she paused mid-lick.  “Tim,” she frowned, “have you never had ice cream?”

“What?  No!  I mean – I mean, what flavor is it?”

“Oh.  I think it is lemon.”

“You think?”

“I am tasting vanilla, too.”

“Is it good?”

“It is okay,” Raven shrugged before continuing her treat.

Tim cleared his throat before turning away from her, opting to watch as the sun began to set.  “You know,” Tim began, “I think what you’re doing with Azar is really nice.”

“Even though I have misgivings?”

“You’re looking out for her,” Tim replied, only glancing at her and not her tongue, “and I can respect that.”

“Well,” Tim heard Raven shift in her seat, “I still think this entire thing is ridiculous, but if I had to choose anyone else to take this trip with…well…you’re not too bad of company.”

“Is that your way of saying you like me?” Tim flashed her grin.

“No,” Raven quickly answered before all but burying her mouth into her ice cream. 

Tim swore her pale cheeks darkened just a bit.  “Don’t worry.  I won’t tell anyone,” he winked at her.  His smile only grew as she shoved her cone in her mouth.  He laughed before turning his attention back to the quickly disappearing sun.

After several minutes of silence, he heard Raven clear her throat before calling his name.  “Tim,” she uttered his name softly.

Tim turned to her, not surprised to see she had finished her dessert.  “Yeah?” he asked, trying not study the shape of her lips as she spoke.

“I am sorry about your parents,” she frowned.  Again, Tim straightened in his chair, fully facing her as the hotel’s pool and backlights came on.  He had not been expecting her to say…that.  “I cannot…I do not….” Raven bit her lower lip, and Tim wanted to run his thumb across it gently.  “I do not know what I would have done had I lost my parents the way you did.  I know it was a very long time ago, but I would like to respectfully offer my condolences.”

“Well, allow me to return the favor,” Tim responded with a small smile of his own.  “I read about what happened to your mom, then your dad.  My parents died together and swiftly,” he gave Raven a tentative smile.

“I try not to think about it that way,” she shrugged, looking away for just a second.  “I like to think of my parents as nerazluchniki amore.” 

“Hmm?”

“Lovebirds,” Raven exclaimed, “my father could not exist in this world without my mother.  His heart literally would not let him.”

“Still,” Tim said, “it had to be hard.”

“It was,” Raven agreed, “but part of me was happy when he died.  My mother had just passed a week prior, and my father was miserable.  I was sad and grieving, but my father could not leave his bed.  He was not eating well.  He cried loud and hard.  He was…” Raven’s voice trailed off.  “He had no will to live.  I think…” Raven sighed.  “It happened so quickly.  But, from what I remember, he was not in good shape.  I have never seen a healthy person decline so fast.” 

Tim reached across the table and laid his hand on hers without thinking. 

“But it helps knowing that they loved each other,” Raven continued, “and even though Justice wasn’t hers, my mother never treated him differently.  According to him, she loved him more than she loved me.”

Tim’s eyes widened.

“He says it jokingly,” Raven assured him.  “But…this is not the conversation I wanted to have with you,” she ripped her hand away from his.  “There was a reason I was looking for you.”

“Um…okay,” Tim stuttered, taken off-guard by the complete change in conversational tone.

“I think we are looking in the wrong places for Leonardo.”

“You do?”

“Yes.  Azar said Leonardo loved playing in dirt.”

“Those weren’t her exact words,” Tim chuckled, “but continue.”

“We should concentrate our efforts on Leonardos who have lots and lots of land.  Vineyards and orchards.  Then we should work our way down from there.”

“That…is a really good idea,” Tim said in surprise.  “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I don’t know.  I thought you were a genius,” Raven joked.

“Does that mean you no longer think of this trip as a total waste of time?” he asked.

“I will stand by my opinion until we find the right Leonardo.”

“And if we never find Azar’s Leonardo?”

“I will look you both in the eye and say, ‘I told you so.’”

Chapter Text

“Tim, this is a wonderful idea,” Azar beamed over their hotel breakfast.

              “I’m afraid I can’t take any of the credit,” Tim smiled at the elderly woman, “it was Raven’s idea.”

              “Rayven?” Azar turned to her granddaughter in shock.  “My Raven?”

              “Very funny,” Raven leaned back in her chair.

              “You cannot blame me, cucciolo.  You have been mostly negative throughout this journey.”

              Raven only rolled her eyes.

              “Well,” Tim continued, “we researched it last night.”

“Together?” Azar once again looked at her granddaughter in surprise.

“Yes,” Raven answered.

Tim smiled before continuing.  “There is a vineyard owned by a Leonardo almost 160 kilometers from here.  But, on our way there, we will pass another Leonardo.  It couldn’t hurt to stop there.”  He looked at both women, gauging their responses.

              Azar was clearly onboard.  Raven, however…Tim and Azar both turned to Raven.  “What?” Raven shrugged.  “Why are you both looking at me like that?”

              “Well…” Azar began slowly.

              “This is usually the part where you start protesting,” Tim added.

              “I already told you last night, Tim,” Raven said, “let’s go.  The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return.”

              “That’s the spirit,” Tim said dryly.

              Raven gave him a look of annoyance that only made Tim’s heart pound in his chest as his stomach did somersaults.  As he held her violet gaze, Tim realized something – he was beginning to fall for this girl.  And he didn’t know how he felt about it.

(Almost 4 hours later)

              “No one is home,” Raven sighed, staring at the closed door miserably.  “What do you want to do, amagi?” she asked Azar.

              “Well,” Azar began but was interrupted by the sound of a motorino.

              The vehicle's rider came to a complete stop and looked at them curiously.  “Buongiorno,” he greeted with a friendly smile.

              “Buongiorno,” they all replied.

              “Sei qui per Leonardo Rossi?” he asked kindly.

              “Sì,” Tim answered.  “Uh…sai dov’è?” Tim asked, not confident in his Italian skills at all…but he couldn’t stop his mind from wondering if Raven was impressed.

               “Sì,” the gentleman replied, “seguimi.”

            Tim turned to Azar and Raven for confirmation.  They both nodded in agreement.

            Less than 20 minutes later, the trio found themselves in a cemetery.  Despite being a beautiful spring day, the atmosphere was tense, and the sky appeared bleak.  The songs of chirping birds sounded more melancholy and less joyful.  Tim looked down at Raven, whose face could have been carved from marble if she hadn’t been biting one side of her lip.  Her violet eyes spoke of worry as she watched her grandmother read Leonardo Rossi’s epitaph.  Likewise, the heartache in Azar’s eyes was unmistakable and poignant. 

            “This is what I feared the most,” Raven huffed before turning to Tim.  Her face was stern; her eyes were hard.  She was furious, but all Tim could think about was how beautiful and expressive her eyes were.  The soft breeze blew strands of hair in her face – strands that Tim so very much wanted to brush behind her ear.

            “We don’t even know if that’s the right Leonardo Rossi,” Tim reasoned, their voices just above a whisper so as not to disturb Azar.  His blue eyes searched Raven’s desperately.  He didn’t want to argue.

            “I hope it is not.  I truly hope it is not him,” Raven’s face softened for a split second before hardening once more.  “Either way, we’re finished.”

            “No,” Tim said before she could walk away, “we shouldn’t.  We can’t stop here.”

            “Then when do we stop?” Raven asked, raising her voice, gaining Azar’s attention.  “When?  Over the next hill?  The next town?  Should we scour the whole country?”

            “Raven,” Tim spoke softly.

            “No,” Raven interrupted him.  “No, no, no.  I understand this is not the happy ending you want, Tim- “

            “Raven, that’s not- “

            “It is not the ending you want for your story- “

            “It’s not for a story- “

            “But we are not characters in your story, Tim!  This is our life!  My life!  My grandma’s life!” Raven exclaimed as her grandmother began to approach the arguing adults slowly.

            “Raven- “

            “No!  She already lost the man once, and now you are making her lose him again and again and again!  Enough!”

            “We shouldn’t- “

            “Of course, you wouldn’t understand,” Raven continued, “everything seems to work out so perfectly for you!”

            “Excuse me?” Tim took a step back.  “You’re not the only one who has suffered loss, Raven.”

            “Was it a loss, Tim, your parents being taken from you?” Raven challenged.

            “Raven!” Azar quickly jumped in.  “Ostanovis’!” she growled.

            “You seemed to bounce back just fine; you have your family, your brothers, and sisters.  You had a fiancée-

            “Neptis!” Azar called her granddaughter.  “That is enough,” she stated firmly, her expression hard.

            “I get it, Tim,” Raven ignored her grandmother, “nothing ever bothers you!  Nothing!  You live your life like a – a – a robot!”

            And for the first time since they’d met, Tim felt an uncontrollable rage.  “How dare you?” he glared at her hard.  Raven almost took a step back.  Almost.  “Who do you think you are?” he demanded, stepping into her space.

            “Okay,” Azar tried to gain control of the situation.  “Maybe we should get out of the sun.”

            “You have no idea what I’ve been through!  You don’t know me; you know what I tell you,” he stated condescendingly.

            “We need a break,” Azar tried again.

            “Poor little Raven.  Her parents died, and her fiancée cheated on her,” Tim continued mockingly.

            “Watch it,” Azar warned Tim.

            “Dead parents and a cheating fiancé don’t make you special, princess.”

            Raven’s chest heaved as she breathed heavily.

            “So, what if I’m naively optimistic or robotic.  It’s better than being a spoiled, depressed princess who sits alone in her ivory tower- “

            “Tim,” Azar said his name warningly.

            “Judging us mere peasants from your ivory tower while simultaneously ruining everyone’s chance of happiness because you’re sad – because you got your little heart broken.  Grow up and move on!  Just because you’re miserable doesn’t mean you have to make everyone else around you miserable as well!”

            Raven opened her mouth to retort.

            “ENOUGH!!!!” Azar’s voice echoed throughout the empty cemetery, finally gaining the attention of the two young adults.  Both looked surprised to see Azar standing there.  “We are all tired and hungry.  Clearly, we are not going to make any progress today.  So here is what we are going to do.   You two are going to march your butts back to the car.  You will both sit in the back, and you will both be quiet.  I will drive us back to the hotel.  Until then, I do not want to hear a sound from either of you.  Razbrav?  Understood?”

            Raven and Tim stared back at her, their expressions a mixture of shock and awe.

            “I asked a question,” Azar said through gritted teeth.

            “You told us not to make a sound,” Raven muttered.

            “Car.  Now.”

            The two young adults made their way back to the car in a stunned silence with two questions running in their minds:  What the heck just happened?  And isn’t Azar too old to drive?

            The minute they reached the hotel, Tim rushed from the car, slamming the door shut behind him, before storming to his room.  The rage must have been visible because hotel guests and employees gave him a wide berth as he stormed by.  Was he being childish?  Yes.  Did he care?  No.  He needed to break something.  He needed to vent.

            “You will apologize to Tim,” Azar said upon entering the hotel room with Raven.

            “Why can’t he apologize to me?” Raven crossed her arms as she sat on the bed.

            “Raven, you have been difficult this entire vacation.  And while I find your attitude a bit endearing, you went too far.  Tim is only trying to help.”

            “Help?  With what?  You want him to…rewrite your love story?”

            “Who said this was my love story?” Azar asked with a raised brow.  “Is it so wrong for me to want…closure?”

            “No, it isn’t wrong.”

            “Then why have you been so against this?”

            “Why did you want me with you?” Raven challenged.  “You knew what I thought of this venture before we boarded the plane.”

            “Raven,” Azar sighed.

            “Grandmother.”

            “I wanted, I had hoped, to prove to you that love existed, was worth the risk.”

            “What do you mean?” Raven asked.

            Azar sat on the bed with Raven.  “I am so happy you applied to that job in America,” Azar began.

            “Yes,” Raven agreed dryly, “you threw me a farewell party the day I applied.”

            “But…it was a risk.  Ever since he-who-shall-not-be-named happened, you’ve been playing it safe.  You barely leave the estate.  You’re always by yourself.  And what happened to that nice boy that was interested in you?”

            “What boy?” Raven’s brow furrowed.

            “He was an exchange student.  Liked animals.  You said he was named after a fat cat.”

            “Garfield,” Raven scrunched her face.  “I did not like Garfield like that.  I barely spoke to him.”

            “You spoke to him almost every day.”

            “Because he was interning with our private veterinarian, I had no other choice.”

            “Really?” Azar studied her granddaughter.  “You really felt nothing but friendship for him?”

            Raven nodded.  “Honest.  I wasn’t going to let myself fall for Garfield.  I’m not going to let myself fall in love with anyone.”

            “Raven,” Azar frowned.

            “Everyone says ‘love conquers all.’  My love for Malchior didn’t stop him from hurting me; my parents' love for each other didn’t save their lives,” Raven’s voice broke.

            “Raven,” Azar wrapped an arm around her granddaughter’s shoulder, “I can only imagine what it feels like to be betrayed.  It has never happened to me.  I’m sorry it happened to you.  But…just now…you said his name.”

            “I did?” Raven asked.  She then closed her eyes in thought.  “I did,” she opened her eyes in wonder.  “I didn’t want to throw up, hurt someone, or break something."  Raven placed a hand on her chest.  Nothing.  She didn't feel pain in her heart.  "Azar," she looked at her grandmother in wonder, "He’s…he’s finally become just a person from my past.”

            "It would seem so," Azar smiled.

            "But how?" Raven questioned.  "What changed?"

            Azar smirked.  "You have to leave Malchior in the past, and make sure he stays there.  Don't let him stop you from living.”

            “How am I to do that?” Raven scoffed.

            “Well, you can start by apologizing to Tim.  You hurt him.”  Raven looked away.  “Raven,” Azar gently turned Raven’s head back to her, “I know you are trying to protect me.  I appreciate it.  I love that you take vacations with me and spend time with me…which is more than I can say for your brother.”  Raven chuckled.  “But don’t you think it’s time you moved on?”

            “I’ve already cried once this trip,” Raven sniffled, “are you trying to make me cry again?”

            “No, of course not,” Azar pulled Raven into a loving hug.  “But I know you’re better than how you’ve been presenting yourself.  That armor you wear may protect you, but it hurts everyone else…even the people who are trying to help and befriend you.”

            Raven only pulled away.  “I will apologize to Tim,” Raven finally sighed, “but do I have to do it now?”

            “No…but don’t put it off for too long.”

            “Okay.  Does this mean we’re not going home?”

            Tim stared at the beautiful female Azarathian opposite him.  He didn’t want to be here, and, judging from her glare, neither did she.  The only reason they were glaring at each other is because 30 minutes ago, Azar knocked on his door and begged Tim to dine with her and Raven.  He was here for Azar and not the beautif – Raven.  He wasn’t here for Raven.

            Does she ever blink?  Tim thought to himself as he fought to return Raven’s unwavering glare.  Tim didn’t know how much longer he could hold his stare.  His eyes were burning.

            “Tim.”

            Tim sighed in relief as Azar finally arrived, followed by a waiter holding a tray with three flutes.

            “Tim, thank you for joining us,” Azar sat as she helped the waiter hand a flute to Tim first, then Raven.  Azar cleared her throat before continuing.  “I would like to make a toast to you, Tim.”

            Tim’s gaze shot to Azar.  He had not been expecting that.

            “Yes, Tim,” she smiled kindly, softly, endearingly.  “I want to thank you for the wonderful thing you did for a complete stranger.  I will never forget it, and I know Raven won’t either.”

            “No, I will not,” Raven muttered as she took a sip from her glass.

            “Honestly,” Tim smiled at them both…even Raven.  “I did have the most incredible time with you two.  Thank you so much for letting me tag along.”

            “Tim, you did more than ‘tag along,’” Azar squeezed his forearm, which was resting on the table.  “We did have a good time.  Right, Raven?”

            “It was certainly…venturous,” Raven replied.

            “Is this your way of telling me we’re calling it quits?” Tim asked with a tight smile.  A pang hit his chest at the thought of saying goodbye to Rav – Azar.

            “No,” Azar chuckled.  “No.  This morning was tough. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate all you are doing.  We can stop whenever you want to stop.”

            Tim glanced at Raven, who took another sip from her flute.

            “I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” Tim joked, his eyes dancing between Raven and Azar.

            “You’re not,” Raven said, surprising everyone, including herself.

            Tim stared at her wide-eyed.

            “You see,” Azar beamed.  “We are all in agreement.  We just needed a breather.”

            Tim watched as Raven gave a tentative smile before she looked away, lost in thought.

            “Yep,” Tim smiled at Azar.  “Just a breather.”

            That evening, Tim lay on the grass, enjoying the cool breeze.  His mind was racing a mile minute.

            The last 12-13 hours had been a rollercoaster.  Raven lost her temper; he lost his temper.  Things were said; words were exchanged…Tim hadn’t felt anger like that in a long time, not since the day his parents… “May I join you?” a timid voice interrupted his musings.

            Tim angled his head just so.  Raven stood above him in a soft purple dress that fell to her knees.  Black Grecian sandals adorned her dainty feet.  “Sure,” Tim answered.

            Raven slowly lowered herself to the ground before reclining on her back.  Tim looked away from her with a blush.  The spaghetti-strapped dress with the V-shaped neckline showed just enough cleavage suggesting what he already knew…Raven was well-endowed, and Tim was beginning to feel less and less like the polite gentleman his brothers knew him to be.  “Comfortable?” Tim asked as Raven situated herself.

            “Yes, thank you,” Raven replied.

            Tim humphed a response before the two lay in silence.

            “Tim.”

            Tim turned his head to Raven.  Her violet orbs nearly glowed in the pale moonlight.

            “I am so sorry for what I said today.”

            “Oh,” Tim replied.  He hadn’t been expecting an apology.

            “It was out of line.”

            “Look, Raven – “

            “No, let me finish,” she interrupted.  “What I said to you was terrible.  I should never have lashed out at you like that.  I was feeling…scared.  And…I do not like cemeteries.  But I should not have yelled at you.  Despite my misgivings, you have been very kind.  And I hope one day you can forgive me.”  With that, Raven looked back at the stars.

            “I’ll forgive you,” Tim said, “but only if you forgive me.”

            “Forgive you?  For what?” Raven looked at him curiously.

            “You weren’t the only one who was harsh.”

            “But what you said was true.”

            “Raven, it was not true,” Tim frowned.

            “You are right.  I make people around me miserable.”

            “You don’t,” Tim shook his head.

            “But I do.  My behavior this trip has been…deplorable.”

            “I wouldn’t say ‘deplorable’; I have a younger brother whose behavior is deplorable.  Your behavior is nowhere near as bad as his.

            “But…”

            “And I’m not miserable when I’m around you.”

            “You’re not?” Raven raised a skeptical brow.

            “I’m not.  What I feel for you is nowhere close to misery.”

            “Well, I must make you feel some sort of negative emotion.”

            “Annoyance,” Tim shrugged, “but…it’s a bit adorable.”

            Raven’s brows nearly touched her hairline.  “Adorable?” she repeated the word, scrunching her nose as she did so.  “You think my behavior is…adorable?”

            Tim shrugged.  “You make me feel things that I’m not used to; I find my emotions are harder to understand the longer I am around you.  But, it’s not a bad thing.”

            Raven nodded.  “Yes, I feel the same when I am around you.  You make me want to scream and shout and throw things.  You make me want to rip my hair out of my head.”

            “Ouch.”

            “I do not know why.”

            “A conundrum for another day,” Tim gave her a soft look before staring back at the night sky.

            A comfortable silence began to fall between the two young adults when Raven said, “That was my first time.”

            “Hmm?”

            “I have never heard Azar scream or yell before,” Raven turned to Tim.  “I did not even know she could.”

            “Really?” Tim faced her.  “Never?”

            “No.  I even messaged my brother.  He thinks I am lying about it.”

            “She’s a little scary.”

            “I think that is what makes her such a shrewd businesswoman.  But still, it was a bit…off-putting,” she said as a shudder worked its way through her body.

            “Wow,” Tim laughed.  “I’ve been yelled at so many times by, well, both of my fathers.”

            “You were in trouble often?” Raven asked, disbelief in her voice.

            “I was a very mischievous child,” Tim’s blue eyes flashed with humor.  “Before my parents had me tested, I was always pulling pranks in school.”

            “Tested?  Like, for a disease?”

            “No, no,” Tim laughed, “nothing like that.  It was a gifted testing or assessment.  Like an IQ test.”

            “Oh.”

            “I would get into so much trouble, but the first grade was so boring.”

            “What did you do?”

            “Glued a girl’s pigtails together; stuck a tack on another classmate’s chair; created a paint bomb.”

            “A paint bomb?”

            “A paint bomb.  Created a super-duper glue and glued all of the drawers and windows shut; taped an airhorn to the trunk of my teacher’s swivel chair.  Everyone but me peed their pants that day.  On my birthday, my mom brought cupcakes for me to share.  She didn’t know that the night before, I had scraped all of the yellow icings off and replaced them with mustard.”

            “Eww!” Raven squealed before quickly covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment.

            Tim laughed.  “Yeah.  I was grounded for one week for each person that vomited.  So…I was grounded for about 15 weeks.” 

            “Oh my goodness,” Raven’s eyes widened.  “I never did anything like that or anything close to that.”

            “You were an obedient daughter.”

            “I didn’t like parties.  I liked libraries, books, and ancient art.  I used to love going to the ballet.”

            “Used to?”

            “The last time I went to a ballet, I was in a car accident with my mom.”

            “Oh,” Tim replied.  “Oh,” he repeated in understanding.

            “Other than that, I was a boring child.”

            “Debatable.”

            “I was not pulling pranks on classmates.”

            Tim chuckled.  Once again, a comfortable silence overtook the two.  This time, Tim was the one who broke it.  “I used to go stargazing with my parents.  My mom loved the stars.  So, she was proposed to underneath the stars.  My father was a romantic,” Tim gave Raven a brief look and smile.  “He managed to work a Shakespearean quote into his proposal.”  Tim cleared his throat.  He could feel Raven’s eyes on him, and a weird feeling formed in his chest. 

            It wasn’t until he continued speaking that he was able to name that uncomfortable sensation.  “‘Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt thou the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; but- “

            “’ Never doubt I love,’” Raven finished.

            Tim slowly turned his head towards her.

            “Like I was saying,” Raven gave a sheepish smile, “I like books and libraries.”

            “Yeah,” Tim gazed at her, “my mom would recite it while tucking me into bed.”

            “Your parents read Shakespeare as bedtime stories?” Raven asked.

            “I was precocious.”

            “It is…sweet,” Raven gave a small smile.

            They stared at each other silently, each afraid to make a move.  “Do you really believe he is out there?  Leonardo?” Raven asked her question softly.

            “Well…he’s somewhere,” Tim replied.  “But you’re not wrong in insisting that she quits.”

            “I am not?” Raven breathed.

            “No.  We can’t go on forever.  We will eventually have to stop.”

            “Hmm.”

            “What is it?”

            “I thought I would be happy to hear you agree with me, but instead….”

            “Instead?” Tim encouraged her, rolling onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow.

            “Instead of feeling happy, the thought of stopping makes me sad.  I do not understand why.”

            Tim’s blue eyes held her violet eyes.  “I think I do,” Tim muttered, finally accepting the emotions he'd been feeling this entire trip.  Suddenly, outside became stifling hot, and breathing became a difficult task to achieve.   Before he could talk himself out of it, Tim lowered his head, meeting her lips with his.  And, wow!  Had he felt anything softer than Raven’s lips in his entire life?  No.

            His hand came up, resting on the side of her neck as she responded, parting her lips just so.  Swallowing a soft sigh, Tim gently pushed her deeper into the ground as Raven began to explore his lips with her own softly.  Tim moaned into her mouth when he felt her fingers in his hair and parted her lips with his own.  Raven responded by pushing her body into his.

            They slowly separated moments later, both breathing heavily.  Tim’s hand had traveled to the side of her face, and he softly stroked her cheek with his thumb.  Raven had one hand in his hair, and the other rested on his chest.

            After a second, Raven’s eyes widened, and Tim knew the gravity of what they had done hit her.  She shot to her feet, moving faster than Tim thought was humanly possible.  “Raven,” he said her name as he followed suit.

            “So…um…” Raven slowly backed away from him while pulling her fingers through her hair.  “I…just wanted to apologize and say I think – I think we should check out that vineyard tomorrow.”

            “Careful,” Tim said as Raven nearly tripped.

            “So – uh – I will see you tomorrow.  Goodnight!” Raven ran from him before he could utter a single word.

            “Goodnight,” Tim whispered, still in a daze.  His hand slowly crept to his lips.  He could still feel her, taste her – vanilla and lemon ­– on his lips.  He understood the feeling in his chest.  He no longer wanted this adventure to end.  Ever.

            Raven’s heart raced as she sped walked through the foyer.  Then, deciding against the elevator, lest Tim catch up to her, she sprinted up four flights of stairs.  She nearly gave her grandmother a heart attack when she barged into their hotel room.

            “Oh, dear!” Azar placed a hand on her chest.  “Raven!  Are you okay?”

            “Yeah,” Raven answered.

            “You look flushed, dear.”

            “Um…I just…I need to use the bathroom,” she replied before hurrying into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

            “Raven,” her grandmother called through the door, “are you sure you’re okay?”

            “I’m fine.  Don’t worry.”

            “Okay.  Did you apologize to Tim?”

            “Yeah,” Raven said as she turned the handles on the faucet and splashed water on her face.  “He – um – he thinks it’s a good idea…the vineyard.”

            “O-okay.  Are you sure nothing is wrong?”

            “I’m fine.  I’m fine.”  Raven stared at her reflection in the mirror.  It wasn’t even an intense kiss.  But her cheeks were stained red, and her lips were slightly swollen.  “I’m fine,” she said more to herself, her fingers still tingling from the sensation of Tim’s silk strands.  “I’m fine.”

Chapter Text

         Azar watched in amusement as Tim and Raven interacted with each other.  Tim gave his usual good morning; Raven mumbled her reply while trying to hide her blush.  And then she watched as they awkwardly bumped into and avoided each other while loading the car.  Considering Raven’s demeanor from the night before, Azar was able to put 2 and 2 together.  Clearly, something happened the night before – something intimate.  And she was going to have fun with this.

         “Is everything okay?” Azar asked with a smirk after Raven and Tim accidentally bumped into each other for the umpteenth time.

         “Of course.”

         “Yeah.”

         “We’re fine,” Raven shrugged.

         “Nothing’s wrong,” Tim added as he loaded the final bag into the trunk of the car.

         “Why-why-why do you think something is wrong?” Raven’s eyes widened.

         “Nothing’s wrong,” Tim said.  “We’re fine.  We’re good.  Just super excited.”

         “Yes,” Raven nodded.  “I would go as far as to say ‘eager.’”

         “Really?” Azar smiled at her granddaughter’s reddening face.  “Eager?”

         “I-I-I,” Raven stuttered, glaring at a chuckling Tim.  “Let’s just go,” Raven glared, reaching for the backdoor.

         “Actually, dear,” Azar stepped forward, stopping Raven.  “Do you mind sitting up front with Tim?”  Azar thoroughly enjoyed the myriad of emotions that flew across Raven’s face.  “I would really like to stretch my legs.”

         “Oh…um…sure,” Raven replied, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while casting furtive glances at Tim.

         “Thank you, dear,” Azar placed a loving hand on Raven’s cheek.

         Raven blushed once more before walking to the other side of the car.

         Tim exhaled deeply as Raven settled into the passenger seat.  Catching her eye, he gave her a soft smile.  Raven turned away, but not before Tim saw a soft blush fill her cheeks.  So cute, he thought as he turned the car on.

Raven exhaled softly, chanting under her breath to calm her breathing.  This is ridiculous, Raven thought, it was just one…mediocre kiss.  Barely memorable.  She looked at Tim – really looked at Tim.  She took in his slightly upturned lips, his aquiline nose, his round eyes, and long lashes.  Her eyes traced the shape of his jaw before falling on his hair. 

Raven clenched her fists and gulped as she remembered how his hair strands felt between her fingers the night before.  Continuing her perusal, her eyes rested on his fingers.  Raven felt a flush spread to her cheeks at the memory of those soft yet firm fingers caressing her face last night.

“Raven,” Azar called.

“Yeah,” Raven’s voice sounded breathless in her own ears.

“Are you okay?  Why are you staring at Tim?”

“I am not staring at Tim!” Raven argued as her head snapped towards her grandmother.  She then groaned in annoyance when she saw the mischievous look in her grandmother’s eyes.  “I was not staring at Tim,” Raven repeated, facing forward.

A low chuckle came from the young man beside her.  “I wasn’t staring at you,” Raven told Tim.

“I didn’t say you were,” he flashed her a smile.

“Honey, I think you were,” Azar continued.

“Avia!” Raven nearly cried in horror.

“It is okay, cucciolo.  Tim is a very handsome gentleman.”

“How far away is this vineyard?” Raven changed the subject.

“We should be there shortly,” Tim tried not to laugh.

“It is not funny,” Raven glared, not that Tim could see because his eyes were on the road.  “Anyway, Azar,” Raven turned to her grandmother, “this Leonard’s vineyard is Corpus Animaque.”

“Corpus Animaque?” Azar repeated.

“Body and soul, right?” Tim guessed.

Raven nodded, saying, “You know the Azarathian wine, Ocelle-vit Melculum?  It loosely translates to ‘apple of my eye, honey in my life,’” she translated for Tim before turning back to Azar.  “This is their parent company.”

“Razvye?” Azar asked.  “Really?  I did not know.”

“Neither did I.  Oh, there,” Raven pointed out the sign for Tim.

“Thanks,” he said, turning down a dirt road.

“Ooh, look at the scenery,” Azar commented as they drove on the bumpy road.  Rows of vines on trellises spread as far as the eye could see.  “Let’s stop here,” Azar gave Tim a gentle tap on the shoulder.  “There are a few workers ahead.”

Tim pulled to the side of the road.

“Mojata Metrion y Zinthos,” Azar breathed out.

Raven and Tim turned to look at Azar, whose mouth was agape, eyes equally as round and wide.  She looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“Avia?” Raven looked worriedly at her grandmother.

“Est on,” Azar reached for the handle.  “It is him,” she added as she exited the car.

Raven and Tim exchanged glances before quickly following suit.  “Him?  Leonardo?” Tim questioned.

“Where?” Raven asked, examining all the workers.

“There,” Azar pointed to a vineyard worker.  A young worker.

“Are you sure?” Raven frowned.  “He looks 15…maybe.”

“My Leo’s exact likeness,” Azar blushed.

Tim and Raven exchanged another glance.  “Stay here,” Tim gave Raven’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Mojata Metrion y Zinthos,” Azar kept repeating under her breath while Raven stared down at her own hand.  Tim’s touch had sent tingles shooting up and down her arm.  It felt…foreign.  But it also felt warm and good.  Hugging the hand to her chest, Raven looked back at Tim, who was now speaking to a couple of caretakers. 

“Hmm?  I’m going to see if Tim needs help,” Raven told Azar.  Azar nodded silently in response.

“Tim.”

Tim turned to see who had called his name.  “Raven,” he smiled excitedly.  “This,” he pointed to the younger caretaker, “is Leonardo Rossi.”

“Ciao,” Raven greeted the teen.

“And this is also Leonardo Rossi,” Tim motioned to an older gentleman.

“Buongiorno,” Raven greeted respectfully.

“And there is another Leonardo Rossi,” Tim’s eyes sparkled excitedly.

“Ah…yes…he is riding,” the older Leonardo spoke, “but…ah…he will be coming soon.”

“Nonno,” the teen pointed out.

“He is here,” Leonardo pointed to a man arriving on horseback in the distance.

“Grazie,” Tim smiled.  “Um…un momento, per favore.”  Tim turned to Raven and gently guided her back to Azar.  “I think this guy is the one.”

“Okay,” Raven agreed.  “Ready, Azar?” Raven asked her grandmother just as the sound of a horse neighing got their attention.

“We should go,” Azar said, shocking both Raven and Tim.

“I’m sorry,” Tim took a step back in disbelief.

“Why?” Raven asked.

“He’s right over there,” Tim added.

“Avia, we came all of this way.”

“I have been so ridiculous,” Azar muttered.

“Azar,” Raven frowned.

“It has been so long….”

“Baba!” Raven nearly growled.  “We are not leaving until you speak to this man.”

“Cucciolo-”

“No,” Raven held up a hand, “I was happy sitting alone in my library when you forced me to join you on this hunt.”

“I didn’t force you- “

“We trekked across Italia with a stranger.  I listened to you two gush about true love for weeks.  I will not allow you to make this a waste of my time.  Go over there and profess your love.  We aren’t leaving until you do,” Raven folded her arms, “and I say all of this in the most respectful way possible.”

Azar beamed at her granddaughter.  “Thank you, child,” she smiled before walking towards an elderly gentleman who was in the middle of dismounting.  She could do this.

“So,” Tim glanced at Raven as they watched Azar slowly approach Leonardo Rossi, Sr.  “What did you say to her?” Tim asked, having no idea what the two had just discussed in Azarathian.

“Oh, I encouraged her – told her not to fear rejection,” Raven shrugged.

“Seriously?” Tim asked with a raised brow.

“No,” Raven chuckled.  “I reminded her of everything she put me through and said we would not leave until she spoke to this Leonardo.”

The two then watched with bated breath as Leonardo and Azar finally stood in front of each other.

“What do you think they’re saying?” Tim asked.

“Probably something disgustingly romantic,” Raven answered.

They watched as Leonardo slowly brought his hand to Azar’s face and began lovingly stroking her cheek.  He then brought her into a very tight and loving hug.

Tim smiled excitedly.  He couldn’t believe it!  They’d done it!  They’d found Azar’s Leonardo!

“I really hope his wife is not around,” Raven muttered, “because this will not be fun to explain.”

Almost an hour later, Tim, Raven, and Azar sat at the Rossi family dinner table as guests of honor.  Signore Rossi, who was not married (much to Raven’s relief,) had just finished a heartfelt speech, and everyone was loudly and joyously enjoying the meal.  Well, almost everyone.

Tim sat across from Raven and was once more studying her intently.  She didn’t appear to be upset, and her behavior was by no means rude.  She kindly and politely answered any and all questions asked her way.  No, Raven’s demeanor was…melancholic.

She eventually excused herself from the table.  Tim made to follow but immediately stopped when he realized she was only on the phone.  He returned to the conversation at the sound of his name, ignoring Azar’s knowing gaze.

Raven returned to the table almost 20 minutes later.  “Is everything okay?” Azar asked her in concern.

“Yeah,” Raven smiled shyly.  “I got the job.  It looks like I will be moving to America.”

Chapter Text

              A chorus of congratulations followed Raven’s announcement.  She graciously thanked everyone and looked down with a blush.  Leonardo asked Raven what her occupation was.  Raven then spent the next hour answering questions about herself.  Tim smiled as he listened.  With every question, she seemed to shrink within herself as her face would redden even more, and she looked adorable.

“Okay,” Azar laughed, stopping the flood of questions.  Tim’s heart raced at the grateful smile Raven sent to her grandmother.  “Zaichikioia,” Azar stroked Leonardo’s face, “my darling.”

          Signor Rossi only gazed at Azar with love.  Then, standing to his feet, he held his hand out to her.  Azar placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet.  Signor Rossi then leaned into Azar’s space and whispered something in her ear.  Azar blushed and turned to Raven and Tim.  “He’s going to show me the property,” Azar beamed, “but he says to make yourself at home.”  Raven and Tim nodded as the elderly couple strolled away from them. 

Tim turned to Raven, catching her eye.  “I need to make a phone call,” she said to Tim before excusing herself from the table.

Raven leaned against a tree, clutching her phone to her chest.  I got the job!  On the inside, she was dancing for joy.  The Thanagars specialized in Egyptology.  They were famous excavators and curators in the art and archeological world, and they had just hired Raven.  She’d be leaving home in three weeks.  Her heart swelled with joy.  Art had always been her passion.  Museums and libraries were her safe spaces, along with her bedroom.  This is great!  Raven was beginning to feel like herself again.  There was a bounce in her step as she returned to the table.

Looking at the rest of the Rossi clan sitting and laughing around the table, Raven’s eyes zeroed in on Tim, and her steps faltered.  He was laughing at something one of the cousins said.  His blue eyes were bright, and his posture relaxed.  Raven bit one side of her lower lip.  He really was…something.  And though her heart said one thing, her mind said something completely different.  “No,” Raven told herself.  She was about to start a new job.  She couldn’t afford these feelings.  But you’ll both be in America, her heart said.  Raven shook her head at that thought.  No, Raven thought firmly as she continued walking.

Raven stepped towards the merry group but paused once more when she heard Tim’s laughter.  Her heart beat in her chest, and tears came to her eyes.  She turned on her heel and began walking briskly in the opposite direction.  She needed air; she needed to think. 

Tim laughed at another joke one of Leonardo’s many, many grandchildren told.  All of this laughter and joy reminded Tim of his own family in the states.  He couldn’t help but wonder if Raven had ever been part of a merry, familial atmosphere.  She’d get along great with Cassandra, Tim thought.  He froze.  The thought of introducing Raven to his family filled him with a strange…warmth.  He couldn’t stop his smile from spreading.

“Uh…Tim,” one of the many Rossi asked.

Tim turned to one of the male cousins, giving him a polite smile.

“Is…uh…Signorina Raven…uh…la tua ragazza?”

“Ragazza?” Tim repeated.  “Oh.  Girlfriend?  No, no,” he smiled.  “Solo amici.  Just friends.”

The male cousin smiled before chattering away with his family.

“We are just friends,” Tim muttered to himself as he remembered last night’s kiss.  So many unanswered questions, and…He sat straighter in his chair.  Where was Raven?  Graciously excusing himself, Tim decided to walk the property in search of his not-girlfriend, Raven.

“There you are.” Raven looked up to see Tim approaching her with a grin.  “You disappeared,” he sat in a chair across from her.

“I apologize.  I am packing…mentally.”

“Big move,” Tim continued to smile.  “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Raven looked down, hiding a blush.

“America.”

Raven looked at him curiously.  “Are you actually a journalist?”

“Technically, no,” he smiled.  She raised a brow.  “I quit my job about 8 or 9 days before we met.  If it’s okay with you and your grandmother, I would like to send the story to my ex-boss.”

“Of course,” Raven agreed in earnest, unconsciously leaning towards Tim.  “And, you have to come to the wedding.”

“The wedding?”

“There is going to be a wedding.  I am certain.”

“Really?  How?” Tim leaned closer.

“My grandmother threw a ‘Farewell Party’ for me the night I applied for the job in America.”

“Oh wow,” Tim’s eyes widened.  “Either she was very confident or….”

“Or she really wanted me gone,” Raven laughed softly.

Tim joined in the laughter.  “Well, if I’m going to attend this wedding, I guess you and I better stay in touch.”

“Azar gave you my phone number the day we met,” Raven stated.

“Wait…what?  Really?” Tim pulled his phone out.  “Your grandmother really wants us two to be together,” Tim muttered as he scrolled through his phone.

Raven felt the blood leave her face as her traitorous heart raced in her chest.  “Tim,” she spoke quietly.  Tim looked at her with bright blue eyes.  Raven gulped.  “About last night,” she barely got out before she heard her grandmother call her.  “Raven!”

          Raven schooled her expression before standing to her feet.  “Nonna,” Raven replied, seeing her grandmother and Leonardo several yards away.  She hurried to her Azar, hearing Tim behind her.  “Grandma, how was your…tour?” Raven asked.

          “Prekrasno,” Azar gushed.  “Wonderful.  Darling,” Azar reached for Raven’s hands.  “I wanted to run it by you first.  You will be moving to the United States in three weeks.  And…we were thinking,” she rubbed the back of Raven’s hands with her thumbs, a sign of nervousness Raven was shocked to see.

          “Azar,” Raven encouraged her usually overly confident grandmother.  “Just tell me.”

          “I want to marry Leonardo,” Azar announced.

          “I figured,” Raven smirked, hearing a chuckle from Tim.

          “I would like to go through with it before you leave for the USA.”

          “That is fast,” Raven said, “but…um…okay.  If that’s what you want."

          “And Tim,” Azar turned to Tim with joy in her eyes, “you must be there.  I do not know about your work schedule, but I will pull all strings and every string to get you here.”

          “It’s okay,” Tim laughed.  “I’m pretty close to my new boss.  So, I think I’ll be able to pull a few strings of my own.”  He caught Raven’s eye and gave her a quick wink.  Raven looked away with a blush.  “I need to make a few calls, and I should probably contact my employer ASAP, but…I can’t wait to see you in two weeks.”

Chapter Text

            It was the longest 2 weeks of Tim’s life.  Between thinking about Raven and writing his article – “Finding Juliet”- Tim had hoped the 2 weeks would fly by.  But nothing was simple when it came to his thought life. 

First, the article completed and published within two days, before he even left Italia.  Two days after the article’s publication and Tim still hadn’t heard from Raven.  His entire flight back to the US was spent wondering, Should I text her first?  Maybe she’s waiting for me to make the first move.  Maybe she hasn’t actually seen the article.  It gave him the excuse to call, which he did as soon as he stepped foot onto American soil.  After texting the article’s link to Raven, he called her.  To his surprise, not only did Raven answer, but she also continued conversing with him on the phone.  Tim arrived at Wayne Manor with a giant smile on his face. 

Not even home for 24 hours, Tim threw himself into his work at Wayne Enterprises, much to his family’s chagrin.  It wasn’t until after Dick’s 87^th text message that Tim finally sat down and told his family about his trip.  Unfortunately, nothing stopped his blush every time he mentioned Raven. 

And, so, the teasing began.   

The next three days, Tim’s phone was bombarded with online photos of Raven courtesy of his siblings.  Raven at this charity, Raven wearing a beautiful, gold gown at a premiere event.  Raven, Raven, Raven.  The third evening ended with Tim almost killing Jason after Jason decided to butt dial Raven on “accident”.  Consequently, Tim’s phone conversation with Raven lasted almost 2 hours, thus, Jason would live.  Tim went to bed that night with the sound of Raven’s beautiful laughter echoing in his head. 

            To further distract himself, Tim spent his seventh day sans Raven with his friend, Cassie - who he hadn’t seen since Italia.  Having procured an anonymous patronization from a rich, Italian vintner, Cassie’s restaurant was ready for the grand opening.  “They offered to be my wine supplier at almost half the price,” she had told Tim.  When Tim asked the brand of wine, Cassie said she recognized the brand but couldn’t figure out how the owners knew of her.  “Maybe Diana reached out,” she had said with a shrug.  Tim had different theory, but he kept it to himself.  He spent the last 30 minutes of their friendly get-together being playfully mocked by Cassie over his very apparent feelings for Raven.  After tossing and turning in bed, Tim decided to bite the bullet and call Raven.  They spoke for more than three hours.

            Five days before the wedding, Tim spent an embarrassing amount of time choosing a cologne, one that would match his wedding suit.  Duke and Cassandra were the only helpful siblings.  The other three made jokes.  He fell asleep thinking about Raven.

            Two days before the wedding, Tim realized he hadn’t heard from Raven in the previous two days.  His calls and messages went unanswered.  His siblings showed grace as they reassured him – Raven was probably busy with the last-minute plans for the wedding.

Bidding his family goodbye, Tim boarded the private jet with thoughts of Raven.  “Don’t freeze!” one of his siblings had called out.  Tim showed his tall finger, much to Alfred’s annoyance.  Settling in his seat, Tim tried to relax, hoping the anticipation wouldn’t kill him.

          Raven closed her eyes, leaning heavily against the vanity.  Everything was happening so fast.  Her grandmother had found here childhood sweetheart only 2 weeks ago and was now marrying him in mere moments. And Tim…Raven thought back to her conversation with Azar and Justice three nights before.

          “You’re going to leave right after the wedding?” Azar asked.  Raven nodded before turning to her older, half-brother who was sprawled out on her bed.  “Why are in here?” Raven asked as she folded a shirt.  “Isn’t there an orgy you should be preparing for?”

          “Ha ha ha, very funny,” Justice rolled his bright eyes.  “I’m waiting.”

          “For what?” Azar asked.

          “For Rahichelle to begin her phone date with the handsome American boy.”

          “What?” Azar’s head whipped around.  A big smile spread across her face.  “I knew you liked him.”

          “Have you been eavesdropping?” Raven glared at her brother.  “And how do you know what he looks like?”

          “Seriously?” Justice raised a brow in disbelief.  “Don’t you have social media accounts?”  Raven rolled her eyes and continued packing.  “Based on Azar’s description,” Justice approached Raven with his phone, “Tim was very easy to find.  See?” he held the phone up.  Raven took the phone from Justice, and her face immediately paled.

          “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Azar asked.

          “He’s a Wayne,” Raven muttered.

          “I don’t understand.”

          “Bruce Wayne is Tim’s adoptive father,” Justice explained.

          “Ohhh.”

          “And the son of my first client,” Raven frowned before jumping at the sound of her ringtone.  Looking down at her phone, the name TIM lit the screen.  “You gonna answer?” Justice asked.

          “I…I can’t,” Raven handed her brother back his phone.

          “Why?”

          “I will be working for his dad for the next 3-6 months.”

          “So…?”

          “I don’t need people thinking that I got this job because I was…it’s not going to work,” Raven continued packing.

          “Sis,” Justice gazed at his sister, “the paparazzi in America doesn’t seem as…vicious and merciless as Azarath’s.”  Raven looked at him with a frown.  “And, from what I’ve read, Timothy Drake-Wayne seems to be Malchior’s opposite.”

          “Your brother is right, sweetheart,” Azar stepped forward.  “I do understand, though.  Loving the son of an influential client may be viewed as…unethical…to some, they may question your credentials.”

          “I don’t love Tim,” Raven replied quickly.

          “But don’t use this as an excuse to deprive yourself of something wonderful.”  Raven scoffed.  “Dear,” Azar continued, “I can’t even imagine the pain you suffered.  It broke my heart, seeing you in such distress.”

          “Should have let me castrate him,” Justice muttered.

          “Love is scary,” Azar gave Justice the side-eye, “it’s even scarier after you’ve been hurt.  But, dear,” she caressed Raven’s cheek, “it really is worth it.  You don’t want to live with regrets and ‘what ifs’.”

          Raven returned to the present, adjusting her dress, inspecting her hair.  She wasn’t afraid.  Those vibrant blue eyes.  A weird feeling manifested in her stomach at the thought of those vibrant blue eyes.  Raven pursed her lips.  She knew what she needed to do, but she could only imagine the hurt she would see in those vibrant blue eyes.

Chapter Text

The wedding ceremony was a beautiful affair – or Tim assumed it had been.  He only had eyes for Raven.  He wasn’t even trying to hide his attraction to the violet eyed Azarathian.  Though…he didn't like the guy standing beside Raven.  “I hope that’s her brother,” Tim whispered to himself.  He eventually had to stop staring because the guy began scrutinizing Tim with a raised brow.

Before Tim knew it, Azar and Lorenzo kissed and walked back down the aisle together.  Raven took the arm of the guy, who whispered into Raven’s ear as they followed the bride and groom.  Raven’s gaze shot to her partner before finding Tim’s stare.  Tim gave her a small smile.  Raven only blushed and looked away.  The whole exchange amused Tim, and he finally relaxed knowing he wasn’t the only one being affected.  He couldn’t wait until the reception.

“I’m telling you, Rahichelle,” Justice whispered into Raven’s ear as they entered the pavilion where a wedding feast awaited.  “The entire ceremony.”

“Did you spend the entire ceremony staring at him, too?” Raven asked dryly.

“Don’t be jealous.  He only has eyes for you.”

“I’ve already made up my mind,” Raven sniffed as her brother pulled the chair out for her.  “Thank you.”

“You’re a good liar, sister, except for when it comes to lying to me and Azar,” Justice sat beside her.

“Mikhail,” Raven growled in warning.  “I’ve made up my mind.”  Her brother only watched her sadly.  “Can we not do this?  Azar has remarried.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Azar leaned over and asked Justice.

“Oh nothing, nothing at all,” Justice replied, “just talking about Tim.”

“So you told her?” Azar asked.

“Told me what?” Raven asked.

“New seating arrangements.  We added a fifth person to our family table,” Justice gestured to an empty seat.

“Let me guess,” Raven frowned as she sensed a presence behind her.  “Tim,” her Azar gushed, staring at the person behind Raven.  “Our guest of honor.  It is so good to see you.  Please, join us.”

Tim made himself comfortable, giving the occupants of the table a polite smile.  “Thank you for inviting me.”

“It is the least we could do,” Azar gushed.  She then turned to the table's four other occupants. “Raven and Lorenzo you already know,” she began, “but you have yet to meet my other grandchild, Raven’s elder brother, Justice-Mikhail.”  Tim turned to the dark-haired, sky-blue-eyed male, inwardly leaping for joy.  He didn’t have a rival for Raven’s heart.

“Hello,” Tim greeted Justice just as the food was being served.

“So, you are the boy Rahichelle has been having early morning conversations with,” Justice smiled.

“Tiko!” Raven hushed her brother.

Tim chuckled.  “That’s me,” he smiled as he held his hand out in greeting.  “It’s nice to meet you.” 

Justice spent the next 30 minutes quizzing Tim, much to Raven’s embarrassment.  Tim took it all in stride, clearly enjoying himself.

“Dovolno!” Raven growled at Justice.

“Justice, leave Raven alone,” Azar said before returning her attention to her husband, who, based on Azar’s giggles, was whispering sweet nothings into her ear. 

“That is unsettling,” Justice commented.  Looking around, he asked, “Where is the alcohol?”  Azar laughed, stroking her beloved’s cheek.  “Ballare con me, mio amore.”  Lorenzo kissed her before standing to his feet, offering his hand to Azar.  Azar, staring lovely at her new husband, stood to her feet and allowed Lorenzo to lead her to the dance floor.  “Raven,” Azar turned to Raven, “you and Tim should join us.”

“Ripetere?” Raven asked.

“She wants you to dance with Tim,” Justice beamed.

“Tim does not want to dance,” Raven answered.

“Actually,” Tim gazed at Raven, “may I have this dance?”  Raven briefly glared at her grandmother’s retreating figure before accepting Tim’s outstretched hand.

“I am going to look for alcohol,” Justice murmured as the band began to play a slow waltz.

Tim gently placed a hand on Raven’s shoulder blade.  Raven immediately stiffened before placing her hand in his.  “I apologize for the forwardness of Azar and my annoying brother,” Raven spoke as they began to dance.

“It’s fine,” Tim smiled down at her.  “I am no stranger to the loving jests of siblings.”

“Ah.  Yes.  Bruce Wayne and his fosters.  Mr. Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne,” Raven smirked.  “Quite a mouthful.”

“I wondered how long I would be able to keep my identity a secret.”

“Justice found you.”

“You weren’t interested?”

Raven shrugged.  “You seem to be an expert at avoiding paparazzi.”

“I try,” Tim laughed.  Raven rewarded him with a small smile.  The two settled into a comfortable silence, eventually broken by Tim.  “Why did you stop talking to me?”  Raven lost her footing, only for a second.  “Are you okay?  Did I step on your foot?”

“No,” Raven answered, “I was not expecting that question.”

“You don’t have to tell me.  I was just curious.  We were really getting to know each other, and then you suddenly went silent.” 

Raven bit one side of her lip, briefly looking away.   “I…um…I…”  Raven was at a loss for words.  The two slowly began leaning in towards each other, when the emcee interrupted the crowd, getting everyone’s attention.  Raven and Tim sprung apart.  “Um…” Raven cleared her throat.  “He is saying that my grandmother would like to make a speech,” she translated.

Tim, along with the other guests turned to Azar who was now standing with a microphone in one hand and a paper in the other.  “Tim,” Azar said his name.  “May I read the letter you wrote?” she gestured to the paper in her hand.

“Of course,” Tim answered.  Azar smiled gratefully and began speaking in her native tongue.  His attention immediately went back to Raven who had quietly left his side and was speaking to her brother. They seemed to be arguing.  Tim wasn’t sure what the argument was about until Justice glanced his way.  Raven then hurried from the venue, not looking back.  Tim and Justice exchanged looks before Tim rushed after her.

“Raven,” Tim called once they were outside the venue.  “Raven,” he said her name once more.  Raven turned and faced him.  Tim immediately noted her glassy, teary eyes.  “Are you okay?” he asked. “Where are you going?  Why are you leaving?”

“I…I cannot stay,” Raven glanced at him before turning away.  “I cannot do this.”

“Why?” Tim’s question stopped her.

“Because…” Raven sighed heavily, turning back to him.  “The Thanagar Company hired me,” Raven began.  The name sounded familiar to Tim, but he couldn’t place it.  “Our first client will be Bruce Wayne.” Tim’s eyes widened.  “Gotham Museum is opening a wing on Egyptology-”

“- and he’s funding the entire thing,” Tim finished as he remembered where he heard the name. Raven nodded.  “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” Tim inwardly leapt for joy.  “I still don’t understand why you are leaving your grandmother’s wedding early?”

“I cannot be here anymore.  It is too painful.”

“What’s too painful?”

“This,” she gestured to the wedding with her hand.  “This wedding.  Love,” she paused, “you.”

“Me?” Tim studied her intently, watched as she looked everywhere but him.  A thought popped into his head.  “Raven, why did you really stop answering my calls and texts? Did I do something wrong?  Offend you?”

“No, no,” Raven began to play with her hands. 

“I am honestly at a loss here, Raven.”

“It is fine,” Raven gave him a small smile.  “I will see you in America,” she tried to brush him off.

“I thought about you every day,” Tim quickly said, not wanting her to leave.  “No matter what I did, no matter how hard I worked, you were always on my mind.”

“Tim,” Raven breathed his name.

“But when you suddenly stopped answering my texts and my calls…” Tim looked afar off into the distance.  The sun was beginning its descent. “It’s the strangest feeling, isn’t it?” Tim turned back to her.  “Love.”

“Tim,” Raven breathed.

“I thought it would be fireworks and – and – and rainbows, trumpets and confetti,” he chuckled.  “I thought I would wake up one day and BOOM!  I’m in love.”

“Tim,” she attempted to interrupt once more.

“But I was wrong,” he pinned her with a stare. “Love isn’t always hair blowing in the wind with a choir singing in the background.  It isn’t always extremely public romantic displays of affection. It doesn’t have to be loud or ostentatious,” Tim stood directly in front of her, “sometimes…sometimes it sneaks up on you.…” he paused, holding Raven’s gaze, “appearing in the form of a bratty, spoiled, intelligent, beautiful, heiress demanding to know who replied to a 50-year-old letter.”

“I – I – I,” Raven stuttered.  “I will be working for your father.”

“And?” Tim shrugged.

“And…” Raven huffed, momentarily at a loss for words, “people will think I got the job because – because…”

“Do you honestly care what some nosy reporter may or may not publish in a gossip column?” Tim raised a brow.

“I…what do you want from me, Tim?”

“I want to know if what your brother said is true.”

“I do not love you, Tim.  Some days, I barely like you.”

“Why are you trying so hard to push me away?” Tim asked, ignoring her statement.

“I am not.”

“You’re not?” Tim walked up to her.

“Inu,” Raven’s eyes darted up to and around Tim’s face as he stood before her.  “I mean ‘no’.”

“I’m about to do the most cliché thing in the world,” Tim admitted.  “Please don’t hit me.”

“What do you—”

Tim kissed Raven hard and desperately.  His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for the slap, push, and/or shove that never came.  Instead, he felt her dainty fingers in his hair as he pulled her closer.  It wasn’t until a breathless moan escaped them both that Raven abruptly pulled away.

Tim gave her a questioning look.  “I cannot,” Raven lifted a hand to her lips.  “Please.  I will see you in America.”

“Raven,” Tim said her name sadly, “tell me, please.  And then, I’ll let you go.  But I just want the truth.”

Raven looked at Tim morosely, and the sight broke his heart.  “I knew Malchior and Terra for almost two decades.  I thought I was in love; I was in love,” Raven emphasized as she hugged herself.  “I never thought that he – and she was…” Raven bit her lower lip before continuing.  “I thought I knew what love was, but I was wrong.  I thought because we had been together for so long, I could trust his feelings for me.  How am I supposed to trust your feelings for me…or my feelings for you?  I have only known you for three months.”  Tim didn’t know how to answer that question.  “I am so sorry, Tim, but whatever I feel for you - it is not love,” Raven apologized with tears in her eyes, “but I have to…please, just let me go.”  So, he did.  It broke his heart to see sadness in Raven’s violet eyes, but he respected her decision. Tim let her go.

Chapter Text

It was a mistake, a stupid mistake, and Raven knew it.  She stared out the window of her private jet, gazing at the sunset in the distance.  A lone tear ran down her cheek.  She was breaking her own heart, a truly impressive feat.  “You’re doing the right thing, Raven,” she muttered to herself.

The phone on her lap ping-ed with another message.  Justice had been both berating and comforting her for the last hour.  Coward, was his latest message.  Raven replied, It’s only been 3 months.  Nothing more than a passing fancy or attraction.  She closed her eyes.  Bling!  She was beginning to hate her brother.

Gonna call you Azar 2.0.  “Why?” Raven asked aloud before typing.  Justice responded immediately.  Because 50 years from now you’ll be wondering what if, only, you’ll probably not get a happy ending.  Azar is the exception.  Raven bit her lower lip.  She couldn’t believe what she was about to do.  Talk about cliché.  A flight attendant approached Raven just as Raven stood from her seat.  “Is everything okay, ma’am?” the attendant asked.

“Yes, I just...we need to turn the jet around.”  She couldn’t believe she was doing this.  It was stupid.  She was stupid and crazy and out of her mind…but she was doing it.

Tim zipped his last suitcase before handing it to the bellhop.  “Thank you,” Tim said, handing him a very nice tip – more than the guy’s paycheck no doubt.  Tim took one last look around the room.  This trip hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped, but still…it was worth it.  Screw it!  Love hurts! Tim blinked away tears.  Why do people put themselves through this – this torture? 

A commotion outside of his room quickly caught his attention.  Two figures rushed into his hotel room, the bellhop being one.  “Mi scusi, signore,” the bellhop began as the second person followed closely, “ma lei-“

“Raven?” Tim couldn’t believe his eyes.  She was here!  Why was she here?  And she was soaked to the bone.  “Asciugamano, per favore,” Tim asked.  The bellhop immediately ran out the door before returning with a large towel that he and Tim draped over Raven.  “Grazie.” “Grazie.” Tim and Raven thanked the bellhop before he left.

Once they were alone, Tim asked, “What are you doing here?  Is something wrong?  Did something happen to Azar?  Did you randomly decide to take a stroll in the rain?"

“I wanted to catch you before you left,” Raven began to dry herself.

“Catch me?  Didn’t you leave?”

“I did, but one hour into my flight, I decided I needed to turn around.”

“You ran from the airport to the hotel?”

“Nyet, nyet, nyet,” Raven shook her head with a smile, a few strands of her wet hair stuck to her face.  “There was a car waiting for me.  Then the engine died half-way here.  That is when I decided to run.”

“In your gladiator sandals?” he asked in disbelief.  “How did you know where I was staying?”

“Justice sent a tweet asking for your whereabouts.  One of his followers saw you entering this hotel.”

“That is…a bit creepy.”  Raven nodded in agreement.  “But what are you doing here?  Why aren’t you on your way to America?”

“I wanted to do something cliché,” Raven used his words from earlier.

“What do you mean?”

Raven sighed, composed herself and began.  “I am broken.  I – I…” she dropped the towel and paced.  “I would be a terrible romantic partner.” Tim’s heart began beating even faster in his chest.  “You could be the most perfect person, but a part of me will always distrust you.  And I do not want to distrust you; I do not want to hurt you.  You deserve someone who is not so…paranoid?” she searched for the right word.  “The point is – my heart is not whole.  I do not think it will ever be,” Raven admitted sadly.

Tim watched her for a moment.  “Do you love me?” he asked.

“Did you not hear a word I just said?” Raven replied.

          “I did.  Do you love me?” he repeated his question.

          “I…I do not…”

          “Raven,” Tim took both of her hands in his, not breaking eye contact, “I love you. I am in love with you.”  Tim watched as tears gathered in her eyes.  “You’re not broken.  But I do need to know – do you have any sort of feelings for me?”

          Raven sighed.  “I hate romantic cliches and comedies. I should be on my way to America,” her voice broke.  “But instead, I had my pilots turn my jet around because...We have only known each other for three months, but…I am in love with you, and it terrifies me because it does not make sense.  Love at first sight is not supposed to be real,” she exhaled as warm tears ran down her face.

          “Raven, this scares me, too,” Tim admitted as he gently swept her tears away with his thumbs.  “But I don’t want this fear to keep us from trying.  Everything I have seen, everything you have told me about yourself, I love it all,” Tim’s hands caressed Raven’s face.  “The way you bite your lip and look down when you’re embarrassed, the way your fingernails always seem perfectly manicured even though you bite them when you feel stressed, the way you glare at me, the way you smile, how you can’t maintain eye contact with me without blushing,” – Raven rolled her eyes – “the way you roll your eyes,” Tim chuckled.  “I love it all.  You’re not broken.”

          “I have trust issues.”

          “We can work through them.”

          “Why do you want to put yourself through that?”

          “Because you’re worth it.”

“No, I am not.”

“You are to me.”

(THE NEXT MORNING)

Raven nimbly made her way to the hotel balcony where Tim sat, enjoying his cup of black coffee.  “Hey,” he smiled at her, his eyes taking in her bare legs, white button-down shirt (his shirt) and messy, sexy bed hair.  “Come here,” he laughed when Raven went to sit across from him.  Looking at him curiously, she let Tim pull her into his lap.  Tim played with her fingers and hair as she cuddled just beneath his chin.  “How can you drink that?” Raven asked, glaring harshly at the coffee mug.

“How can you drink tea?” Tim replied, pressing his nose into her hair as his hand began stroking her bare thigh.

“You drink coffee without sugar and creamer,” Raven scrunched her nose. “Otvratityel. Gross.”  Tim chuckled as he pressed a gentle kiss to her hair.  “So…what now?” Raven asked, turning to look up at him.

“You don’t have to be in America until next week, right?  We could always stay here.”

“Or,” Raven straightened, “we could go to Azarath.”  Raven’s face heated as Tim studied her.  “Or we could stay here,” she added quietly.

“Oh, I definitely want to see where you grew up,” Tim nodded excitedly, “I want to see baby pictures, embarrassing photos…do you sleep with a teddy bear?” Tim asked as Raven stood from his lap. “Any embarrassing childhood videos – Justice probably has so many stories.”

“No talking to my brother,” Raven rolled her eyes as Tim stood.

“I want to see everything you’re willing to show me,” Tim scooped Raven into his arms and walked inside. 

“We can take your jet,” Raven’s eyes sparkled with humor as her arms wrapped around his neck.  “My pilots deserve a break.”

“Fine,” Tim laughed, “but first…” he dropped his arms to his side.

“Tim!” Raven squealed in mock anger as she landed on the bed.  “Kto-“ Tim silenced whatever she was going to say with his mouth, sliding his hands under her shirt as he did so.  After removing the shirt from Raven’s body, Tim chucked his pants off.  “More of…this?” Raven gasped as Tim began to kiss his way up her body.

“You don’t like it?” Tim balanced on his forearms with a smirk.

“That is not what I mean,” Raven blushed hard.  “We will be…in bed…all day…” she panted and arched as Tim slowly ran his tongue over her. 

“Noon,” he kissed just above her pelvis.

“Hmm?” was all Raven could utter as Tim continued to kiss his way up her body.

“We can leave at noon,” he kissed the space between her breasts.  “That gives us…three (kiss) more (kiss) hours.” Finally reaching eye level, Tim gazed at her softly.  “Sound like a plan?”

Raven smiled and wrapped her arms around Tim’s neck.  “Da,” she said, bringing him down into a heated kiss.  Flipping their positions, much to Tim’s surprise, Raven laughed, and kissed him once more.  The two then spent the next 12 hours in bed, learning about and loving each other.

“Azarath…” Tim thought as he pulled his fingers through Raven’s hair,  “would be a great honeymoon destination.  I’m going to book our hotel when I get home.” A week later, that is exactly what he did. 

(SIX MONTHS LATER)

          “Are you ready, dear?” Azar adjusted the veil on Raven’s head.

          “Yes,” Raven grinned…actually grinned.

          “Never thought the day would come,” Justice stood beside Raven, “that you would…smile.” He shuddered.

          “Shut up,” Raven punched her brother’s arm.

          “Hey, this is a new suit,” he frowned.

          “And, last but not least,” Azar expertly placed two golden butterfly hair tassels into Raven’s hair, “your mother’s hairpins.” Raven’s eyes widened in awe.  “Justice and I found them last week.”

          “Yeah,” Justice chimed in, “did you know about the secret room inside the attic?”  Raven rolled her eyes.  “I’m happy for you, sis,” Justice held his arm out to her.  “Ready?”

          “Ready,” Raven nodded.

          “Let’s go,” Azar beamed.

          “I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Tim heard Jason whisper rather loudly.  “And before Richard!”

          “Shush!” Richard said to Jason, who was standing behind him.

          “You and Barbara have been engaged for 5 years.  Five!”

“That is true,” Duke, who was standing behind Jason added.

“You guys aren’t supposed to be standing this close to me,” Tim growled through clenched teeth as the final bridesmaid began her walk down the aisle.

“How else are you supposed to hear us?” Richard asked.

“You’re not supposed to be talking!” Tim nearly spat.

“Dick is right,” Damian, who was standing behind Duke decided to join in the teasing.  “Shouting would be terribly impolite.”

“Bruce!” Tim tried to get the attention of the billionaire, sitting in the front row.  Bruce glared at his sons.  “Tim,” Jason reached around Richard to tap Tim, “who’s the redhead?”  He motioned to the red-haired maid-of-honor, who took her place on the opposite side.

“I will kill you,” Tim growled, giving his brothers a murderous look just as a collective gasp rose from the audience, who stood to their feet.

Upon hearing the gasps, Tim turned to see the bride being escorted by her brother and grandmother.  She was…Tim was at a loss for words.  

Every moment - from the day she walked into that small room demanding to speak to the author of the Juliet letter to this very moment – played on repeat in his head.  His heart raced in anticipation.  His body was nearly vibrating with excitement.

Tim gently took Raven’s hands once she finally stood in front of him.  “Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” Tim replied.  “You ready for this?”

“I am ready,” Raven replied.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

(10 HOURS LATER)

          “Again,” Tim smiled against Raven’s lips before allowing her to curl into his chest.  “I apologize for my brothers.”

          “Kianga,” Raven maneuvered her body over his, “my love, I am used to your brothers’…antics. They behaved better than I expected.”

          “Hmm,” Tim moaned as Raven kissed underneath his jaw.  “They nearly started a food fight.”

          “Tie se tvoite braka,” Raven smiled coyly, her hair now long enough to cover her breasts, “your brothers love you.  I can tell.”

          “They could have been…better behaved,” Tim moaned as Raven kissed down his chest.

          “Tivko, moya lyubov’,” Raven put a finger to his lips.  “Or…should I call you Juliet?”

          “No, I’m Romeo,” Tim laughed, “you’re Juliet.”

          “Nyet,” Raven furrowed her brow.  “I came looking for you - like Romeo who stood below Juliet’s balcony.”

          “That’s not how that works,” Tim tickled her as he reversed their positions.

          “Well,” Raven played with Tim’s hair after catching her breath, “thank you.”

          “For what?” Tim cocked his head to the side.

          “For being patient with me, for not letting me push you away, for giving us a better ending than Romeo and his Juliet.”

          “No,” Tim replied softly.  “This isn’t our end.  We’re just beginning.”  Tim kissed her softly before adding, “And it’s all thanks to 50-year-old letter to Juliet.”