Summary: Richard Grayson and Raven Roth live together in an apartment/penthouse in the dangerous Gotham City. Raven is a nurse at the hospital called Gotham General and Richard is the city's greatest detective. Both of them are friends and have a good relationship but have issues with love. Both have terrible things happen in their past for them to almost give up on love. Read and find out what!

Author's Note: I want to dedicate this story to Alena-chan or as we know as her now, Pretty in Scarlet20. She is a very good writer and a very good friend.

Now, I know there are people who don't agree with Rae/Rob pairing. I do NOT want any flames for this story because of the pairing.

I hope that everyone enjoys reading this! I enjoyed writing this!

Disclaimer: If I owned TT, there would not be any Star/Rob fluff at all only friendship!

Chapter 1

Meeting

July 4, 2005

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Richard Grayson, 25, looked an old case file that he had solved a month ago. He was in his office trying to organize his desk. It was about a woman by the name of Jackie Long. Mrs. Long was some what attractive short brown hair and she was in her mid-forties. She had come into an inheritance when her husband had died in a car accident. Then two weeks later she had died mysteriously. Jackie and her husband Lance didn't have any children. Richard had been puzzled about this particular case for about two days.

But studying the crime scene he found that it could have only been one person. The murder turned to out to be the late husband's mistress. Ms. Abigail Strong, the husband mistress had been involved with him for almost year behind Jackie's back. The husband had written in his will that if any thing were to happen to his wife that she would get the money. Ms. Strong tried to make look like a suicide by shooting the victim in the head and then putting the gun in her hands. But thanks to his knowledge, when a person commits suicide with a gun, there is a slight burn mark left on the skin. Plus a person saw the husband's mistress come into the house at the time of the murder. So that case was closed.

There was a knock at the door. He mumbled a "come in". The people that entered were some of his co-workers. First was Garfield Logan, 26 years old. He was 5'9 and had blond hair. He had green eyes and had a good build. Next was Gar wife, Terra Logan, she was about 5'5. She also had blond hair but she had light blue eyes. They had a met when Terra started on the police force two years ago. She was determined that she was useful and was assigned as Garfield's partner. Soon the two fell in love and it was history from there.

Last but not least was Richard's good friend Victor Stone. He was very good looking man, tall and strong. He had bald and hazel color eyes that were very warm to his friends. He was 6'4, but when he had graduated high school, but he had gotten into accident that resulted in him getting his right leg removed. He now has a prosthetic leg, but he had known Richard back then and he was very supportive.

Gar spoke first, "Richard, I heard from my man Victor that you have roommate in that penthouse house of yours." Richard looked up from his work to glare at Victor for talking.

"Yeah, I do," was all he said. His dark blue eyes narrowed at Garfield as if daring him to ask another question.

Garfield didn't get the message. "Well, it is a man or a woman, come Rich, don't keep us in the dark, I wanna know," he smiled innocently at Richard. Richard didn't want talk but if he didn't say something to satisfy their curiosity, he would never hear the end of it.

He sighed, and then said, "Her name's Raven and she's a nurse at the hospital." There, he thought, that should keep them off his back.

"What does she look like, is she ugly, fat, skinny, what color hair, eye color, how tall is she, is she nice or mean, and how old is she," rambled on Terra. Richard forgot. Terra was just as bad as her husband. He groaned. Vic was going to pay for this. But for right he might as well answer her questions.

"Well," he started, "Raven is nice to me, but it's a little on the cruel side." He remembered the time in his boxers and Raven had laughed so hard that he thought she was going to explode. They had been living together for about six months and it was nice having someone to talk to when he came home.

"Raven is not ugly and she's petite and I think that she is about 5'2 or 5'3, I'm not sure. She had black hair that's below her shoulder blade and has dark blue eyes. She's 23. There are you are happy now Terra," he continued exasperated. Richard shot them all an annoyed look. He looked at his watch, it was nearing twelve. He looked around his desk for his lunch. 'Damn it', he thought, he forgot it in the kitchen.

"Looking for this," a familiar voice said. Richard looked and his blue eyes widen. There was Raven standing at his door and didn't even have the decency to knock. But he looked at her hand; there it was in her hand, his lunch he had made this morning.

"Hey Rae, thanks for bringing my lunch," he was grateful that she had brought his lunch for him. Too bad, he was in for a surprise. Raven looked at her hand and tossed the bag to him. Richard opened it and it was… empty.

"Raven, is this your idea for a sick joke, because this is not funny," he growled and glared at her. But she stood unaffected as she smirked at him.

"I ate it for breakfast," she said simply. Raven was having too much fun, the patients that she had today were horrible, and so she was taking her frustration out on Richard. Terra and the others looked at Raven in shock, no one dared to eat Richard's food, even Victor no matter how hungry he was. That was a big no no.

"You ate it for breakfast and brought the empty bag for what, to laugh in my face," he wasn't angry, just hungry and she wasn't making him feel better. Raven's smirk was identical to Richard's. He used often enough so it was only natural for her to pick it up.

"Actually if you stop your useless babbling, you'll listen to what I have to say," Raven said in monotone. "I've to come to ask you to forgive me for eating your lunch," she used her fingers to quote "lunch".

"I'm not going to forgive until you tell me why you ate it," he stated plainly.

"Because I was too lazy to make breakfast this morning and it was just sitting there on the table calling out to me." Raven looked bored as she explained why she ate his lunch. Victor tried not to smirk, but this was too good. Richard's roommate just ate his food and it looked like he didn't mind. Gar was in awe at this girl's beauty. Terra was pretty, but Raven was beautiful. Curvy and petite, with those dark blue eyes that looked almost violet, she was stunning. Raven was wearing jeans and a black wife beater with slippers. Garfield knew he shouldn't look at another woman, but it just wasn't fair that Richard had all this to himself. It was safe to say that Richard didn't notice the way Gar was looking at Raven.

Richard tried not smile, he really did but she was too funny for her own good. "So how are going to make this up to me Rae-Rae," he smirked. He knew that she hated when he called her that.

"Well Richard, I'm asking you to come with to lunch with me, right now, while it's my lunch break," she continued. Richard thought about for a second. He could take his lunch break right now if he wanted to.

"Sure lets go," he grabbed his jacket that was hanging from his chair. Victor coughed.

"Aren't you going to introduce us before you run with your pretty lady friend?" Raven looked up at Richard and decided she would help him out.

"My name is Raven; it's nice to meet all of you," she still in monotone.

"You're hot!" Gar blurted without thinking. Terra slapped the back of his head. Richard, Raven, and Victor all looked at them in amusement.

"Glad you think so," Raven responded. She looked at Gar finger and saw a wedding ring. Richard's blue narrowed, he did not like how this was going. Garfield shouldn't be flirting with Raven. 'Gar is a married man', he thought. He'd better put an end to this.

"Let's go Rae," Richard said quietly trying to keep the edge out of his voice. He hoped no one noticed. But Victor did and he smiled. It was about time that Richard found a nice girl that he liked after what happened with his last girlfriend.

Richard grabbed Raven by the hand and left the office. After the door closed, Terra spoke.

"Possessive much."

"Yeah," Garfield added his two cents. He thought Richard was going to bite his head off.

"Nah, I just think that Richard's found a girl that he finally likes," Victor said calmly.

"After what happened with his last girlfriend?" Terra said concerned. She didn't want what happened last to repeat it's self.

"I think that this Raven chick might be what Dick needs to finally heal, and did you see the way that he was poking fun at her, I definitely think that he likes her." Garfield hoped he was right; Richard could not handle another girl breaking his heart like before.

ﻼﻼﻼﻼﻼﻼﻼﻼﻼﻼ

To Be Continued!

On the next Beauty Within Us: Richard explains to Raven why he was acting funny at his office. Someone from Richard's past comes back.

Review Please! And Cherry Jade will be very happy!