Here by me

By: Bree-2006

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen titans, DC does, and I don't own the song Here by me cuz 3 doors down does. (but hey I own the CD!)

AN: Another one of my sappy one shots, yes this one shot may bring a tear to your eye but it's a good one I hope. Thank you all for reading.

Dedicated to Dimitri Plabato who gave me the best email I've ever received, and whose writing has inspired me very much. Thank you Dimitri.

I hope you're doing fine out there without me
'Cause I'm not doing so good without you
The things I thought you'd never know about me
Were the things I guess you always understood
So how could I have been so blind for all these years
This I only see the truth through all this fear
Living without you

He sat at a table, his fingers tapping away at its wooden surface. His mind was blank, his eyes fixed on the wall across the room. He turned his gaze to the clock on the wall. It was nearly his time to go home, and the wait was just about killing him. Days went by slowly when there was nothing for you to do but gloat. And boy was he a gloater.

Richard John Grayson was a sight to see, rich ebony colored hair and dazzling blue eyes. He was respected, looked up to by everyone in and around Gotham. He was the prince of this city, but oh how the mighty had fallen, rich, handsome and incredibly stupid.

He had let the best years of his life slip by in nothing but a blur. Not even bothering to keep in touch with his old team mates from three years passed. He was almost alone, save from Babs, Bruce and Alfred, who often times never gave him a moment of peace.

But he kept quiet, resourceful, almost a little too much.

And anything I have in this world
And all that I'll ever be
It could all fall down around me
Just as long as I have you right here by me

He played a strong-willed individual in a game that claimed no winners. He wasn't at all as happy as people made him out to be. He may have looked it, but deep down, he was broken, torn.

He was someone different entirely, not the person everyone saw on the outside. Sure he was strikingly handsome and god-awfully rich in a world that demanded such things, but sadly his inner torment always got the better of him.

Relationship wise he was not particularly an expert. He wasn't a womanizer, as reporters would say. He wasn't bashful or shy around women, as others would proclaim, he just couldn't find the one person that made his heart beat the way he wanted it to.

He had found her once, a long time ago. Time that seemed like ages, years that seemed like centuries, but now she was gone, and he was alone and forced to dwell on the past.

He had seen her not too long ago, on covers of magazines and posters. She still had looked so beautiful then, enchanting almost. 'The world was seeing her outer beauty' he remembered thinking, 'but I have seen her inner' He found himself almost wishing that the world could see her heart like he had. That was what had made him so taken with her to begin with.

I can't take another day without you
'Cause, baby, I could never make it on my own
I've been waiting so long just to hold you
And to be back in your arms where I belong
I'm sorry I can't always find the words to say
Everything I've ever known gets swept away
Cause I don't go a lot

He stood up and headed to his briefcase, where he stuffed papers and other necessary junk. His work was done for the day, home was calling. He opened the door to his office and walked through, letting it close slowly behind him. He made his way to his secretary, stopping to say goodnight to the hard working woman he came to like solely for her work.

"I'm going home, direct all my calls there." She gave him a kind smile.

"Yes sir." He nodded his thanks and walked through the lobby, stopping to greet some of the workers and anonymous visitors littering the room. He took a quick look at the magazine rack in the middle of the room. Staring at a familiar red head plastered on most of the covers. He made his way to them, plucking them casually out from their places. He ran a finger over the cover, smiling sadly down to it. He opened it gingerly and found the correct page.

"Kori Anders, (21) voted top model 2009"

His jaw dropped as he stared at her picture. Of course she had always been beautiful in his eyes, but in this…this picture, she was breathtaking. He shook his head; she had made a name for herself just as he had.

Along with the headline and picture there was a long interview that had to have taken hours to finish. He wouldn't have enough time to read it all right now. He noticed people starting to stare and gave them a wry grin.

"What?" The populace went back to whatever they were doing and he took the magazine and walked out.

'They won't miss it…'

He headed home, and about ten minutes later he pulled in to his driveway. He pulled his briefcase and magazine out of the back seat, heading inside to his upper class loft on the top floor of the building he could so easily own. He went up the elevator and pulled out his key to unlock the door. He walked inside, throwing his things, minus the magazine, on his kitchen counter, and flopped down onto his leather couch, once again opening the page to her interview. He then started reading it from the beginning.

'So Miss Anders, where are you originally from?' He looked down to her answer, noticing something very different.

'Jump City.' So she was trying to pass herself off as a human, he didn't expect that from her, hell, he hadn't expected her to stay on earth after the team had broken up almost three years ago. He continued to read, nothing she said was a shock to him. After all, he felt he had known her very, very well. As he reached the end of the page something caught his eye. A question…

'Have you ever been in love?' he took as hesitant gulp, fighting himself about whether or not he should continue. Curiosity got the better of him and he turned the page.

'Yes…' he let out a shaky breath and leaned back into the couch.

'With who?' he had gotten through the interview thus far, what's to say if he went on, another broken heart perhaps, a horrible feeling of regret? Feelings he knew all too well. He swallowed his pride and glanced down quickly at the answer.

'My best friend. I loved him so much…'

Best friend, she was in love with her best friend. He had once thought that he was her best friend. He knew that years had passed, and during those years they had grown apart, far apart, things would never be the same. But still to see that she was in love, and it wasn't him, that was what had completely devastated him.

He threw the magazine onto his coffee table, noticing that it landed on a particular page that he hadn't finished looking at yet.

'We have not spoken in years, but my love for him is still there, I do not think it will ever go away.' For some unknown reason something told him to read it. He attentively picked it up and looked at it.

'What do you want to say to him if he is reading this right now?'

'I want him to know that I am sorry that I never got to tell him how much I loved him, and that I will never sto...I'm still crazy about you, Richard…"

And everything I have in this world
All that I'll ever be
It could all fall down around me
Just as long as I have you right here by me

His breath caught in his throat as he read his name. Could it…could it be? Was he dreaming, was it all for real? Could he be the Richard she had been talking about. There were many doubts foreboding his thoughts. It was almost surreal.

As the days roll on I see
Some is standing still for me
And you're not here
I'm sorry I can't always find the words to say
Everything I've ever known gets swept away
Cause I don't go a lot

He would give up all he had to have her again. Just to know that she would forever be his. He was in love with her, she was with him. That was all he needed to know to call her up and talk to her. He walked to the phone, or more-so ran, and dialed the first number that came to his mind, a number he had received years ago.

"Hello?" an angelic voice answered. He smiled to himself.

"Hi Star…"

Thank you readers, and since this IS a one shot you guys can just use your imagination to see what happens next.