Title: My Richard. Part two
Author: Simon
Characters: Dick/OC
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Dick and Laura's meeting, ten years ago.
Warnings: None
Disclaimers: These guys aren't mine, they don't belong to me, worst luck, so don't bother me.
Feedback: Hell, yes.
Thanks again, Jim.
My Richard
Part Two Ten Years Ago"Alright Ladies and Gentlemen, the list of partners is up on the board so please check before you leave. It's your responsibility to get together and get the projects done, so I don't want to hear any complaints or excuses when things are due—you all got that?" The history teacher finished up just as the bell rang. This was the last period on a Friday in September—the second week of the school year and the kids were free until Monday. "Oh, and this year you keep the same partner through to June, so make friends with whoever you were assigned to. Your grades will depend on this, people. This is an exercise in cooperation."
Mumbles of understanding and complaint, along with a few excuses sounded as the class gathered belongings, the first ones already gone and a few still sitting with last minute notes and papers. There was a small group around the bulletin board that held the list.
"Are you Richard Grayson?"
Still writing the current homework assignment in his notebook, Dick looked up at the girl in front of him. She was new in school, average height, blonde and skinny but pretty. She wasn't a knockout like Donna or Barbara, but she wasn't half bad, either. Her hair was long and worn loose; she had on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved tee. He liked her on sight.
"We're partners, I'm Laura Woodward."
"You're new here, right?" Like, duh. Smooth, Grayson, real smooth. Dick didn't want to come across as a jerk, not yet, not with this girl—she looked too nice. Besides, they had to work together, he wanted her to like him. It would make the year a lot easier if they got along. And she really was pretty now that he got a good look at her.
"We just moved here last month from San Francisco; my Dad got transferred. You're Richard, right? That's what the guy in the yellow shirt said, anyway."
"Yes. I mean, that's me." He knew he was blushing and he hated that. "We should exchange phone numbers if we're going to be working together."
"That's OK, your parents are in the school phone book, aren't they?"
"It's unlisted." Like he wanted to get into this right now and like Bruce would have the Manor number listed. Not. He wrote it down and handed it to her, she leaned over and wrote hers on the cover of his notebook.
Laura was looking at the handout list of things they were supposed to get done by the time Christmas break started in three months. "The first thing is a timeline about Elizabethan England and it says here that it's due on Monday. Do you want to work at your house or mine?"
Monday? This was already Friday. "I don't know—your house?" Dick knew the reaction most people had the first time they saw the Manor—hell, he knew the reaction they had the first time they just saw the gates to the place. It wasn't the way to get to know one another in a relaxed atmosphere. "Will your parents mind?"
"No, they're good about school stuff. Why don't you come over tomorrow, is that alright? It's 7 Crystal Road, you know, over near the Catholic Church."
"Saint Catherine's? OK, is around ten tomorrow good?"
She nodded as he stood up and they walked out to the lockers together. "Have you been going here long? I mean, are you one of the kids who's been here since like kindergarten?" She half whispered. "No one talks to me. It seems really cliquish, you know?"
Yes, Dick knew what she meant. A private high school in a rich area? Snob appeal? Oh, yeah. He smiled at her. "It is but there are some kids who are okay. And I only started here in fourth grade so I don't go back as far as a lot of them." He stopped at his locker, she stood next to him. "It helps if you do a sport or something. If you join a couple of the clubs you should be alright."
Laura seemed to screw up her courage. "If you're not busy, maybe we could get started after school, I mean if you don't have to be anywhere or something. My Mom is picking me up and she could give you a ride."
Well, Alfred had told him that he might be late today and the sooner they got started the better. Besides, Bruce had a bug on this year about his grades since he was a sophomore and his grades would start counting for college... "OK, but I have to make a call first so they know where I am." After the kidnap attempt last year, Alfred sort of freaked about stuff like that.
Smiling, she told him she'd meet him out front after she got her things out of her own locker and he used the pay phone. A few minutes later they were getting into a new Jag sedan and Dick had hours to spare. Bruce was in Paris on business and Alfred was going into the city to see some new art exhibit. No one would be home until at least nine or ten that evening so he was on his own. The usual introductions were made and Mrs. Woodward seemed pleasant enough, asking Dick about where he lived and what sports he played—the usual questions. He was used to this sort of thing and skirted around being an orphan and having the richest man in the country as his guardian. People tended to react oddly when they first heard that and so he learned to let that information out at the right time. He did, however, learn that the Woodward's had moved east so that the father could take a job in the legal department of Wayne Enterprises. That wasn't a big deal, living with Bruce things like that happened all the time but when people found out that he was basically the boss's son, he knew it could get awkward.
The two kids spent the first two hours at the Woodward's working in the study. Laura did research on the computer while Dick went through both their textbook and the family encyclopedia. They got along easily and worked well together. Both of them were academically inclined and while neither was a major fan of the subject matter, they both intended to get an 'A' for the year in the class. By the time Laura's mother came in to ask Dick if he wanted to stay for dinner they were almost finished with the thing.
"Really, it's no trouble at all. I always make extra out of habit since Laura's brother used to eat everything that wasn't nailed down. He's at Yale now, so he's cleaning out their kitchens instead of mine... I still cook as if he's here, though. If your parents won't mind your staying, you two can get some more work done, just let them know I'll drive you home when you're ready. How does that sound?"
So half an hour later when John Woodward came home he was introduced to Laura's new friend. The meal was pleasant and relaxed, the food was fine and Dick found himself missing his own family, his own parents, more than he had in a long time. Bruce and Alfred, they were great—well Alfred was great, Bruce blew hot and cold depending on any number of things—but dinnertime at the Manor tended toward the formal side of things. Dinner with his parents had always been fun like it was tonight, sitting around the kitchen table. They would often eat with some of the others from the circus and there would be joking and laughter and shop talk about the show or the next leg of the tour. It was friendly and comfortable and Dick was part of it. Dinner at the Manor tended to be pretty quiet. Sometimes Dick would volunteer something that had happened that day in school, but since the most he usually got from Bruce was a distracted "Oh, really?" he didn't try as much as he used to.
He was a stranger to these people, but they were kind to him and he missed having actual parents asking about how school had gone or what his teachers were like. It was a world he'd lost with his parents' deaths.
"So, Richard—you didn't tell us, what do your parents do?" Lynn Woodward was handing him a piece of cake for dessert.
Hell. He would rather not get into the whole 'orphan' thing right now and he really didn't want them to know just yet who had taken him in. It would be too weird; it was always weird when that shoe got dropped. On the other hand, he'd been through it enough to know the direct approach seemed to work the best to get the subject changed.
"My parents were killed in an accident when I was eight so I live with a guardian. He's an executive with a company based in the city." People generally assumed it had been a car wreck or something like that. The usual silence and sympathetic looks came over the table so he filled tried to the void by changing the subject. "May I have some more milk, please?"
"Of course, dear."
Dinner ended quickly after that and the two youngsters went out back to look at the pool.
"I'm sorry about your parents."
"...It's alright. It was a long time ago. I mean, I've lived without them now as long as I lived with them and I ended up in a good home. I'm okay. It could have turned out a lot worse." He hated the pity and the sympathy he always got when people found out and had come up with a few standard responses. In fact it wasn't okay, of course and he wished with all his heart that his parents were waiting for him to come home right this minute. He learned to put a good face on things. Besides, it really could have been a lot worse if Bruce hadn't taken him in.
They sat, their feet in the water, and talked about school, their classes, the different teachers and the different social groups. Dick told her about the various clubs and sports that were available. They got along well, talking and laughing easily together for an hour or more.
Laura's mother called them to come back inside, she'd take Dick home now if she could, it wasn't really late, but he should be getting back. A little while later she dropped him off, despite her protests, at the back gate to the Manor, not knowing what it actually was nor who lived there. She was still new to the area and still learning the lay of the land. He told them that he could walk to the house just fine from the gate; telling them he did it all the time. And he'd be over at ten the next morning to make sure the assignment was finished and looked good. He refused the offer for a ride in the morning, saying he'd get a lift himself.
On the ride back home, Lynn made a comment to her daughter that Richard seemed to be a nice young man—he had such nice manners and seemed to be bright. It was good they would be working together this year and maybe he would introduce her to his circle of friends. Besides, he was good looking, too. Joking, she told Laura that she seemed to have made a conquest.
Laura agreed, laughing and probably hopeful. "Did you notice his eyes? They're bluer than Paul Newman's, even."
"Paul Newman? Isn't he a bit before your time, sweetie?"
"Butch Cassidy was on last weekend...his eyes are amazing." Lynn wasn't sure which 'he' her daughter was referring to. "And he's an orphan, that's the saddest thing I've ever heard and he told me that he's an only child, too. When his parents died he must have been left completely alone if he's living with some guardian."
"Someone gave him a good home, it seems. I wouldn't worry, honey, he seems to be happy enough."
"But it's so sad."
"Well if you two become friends you can cheer him up when you think he needs it." This might be good. If Laura could connect with someone at her new school perhaps they could avoid...
Laura smiled at her mother. That was exactly what she had in mind.
When they got home Laura went up to her room to call a girlfriend back in California while her mother found John watching a game on TV. She sat in her usual chair, book in her lap and read quietly for a while. Maybe Laura and this boy would become friends. Maybe that would help stop the problem from happening again.
John was the one who brought it up; he had only just managed to keep a straight face when he'd been introduced to the kid at dinner that evening. Working where he did and having done his homework on the company when he was applying for the job, he recognized Dick's name.
"Do you know who that boy is?"
"Richard? He's one of Laura's classmates. He seems nice enough, why?"
"But do you know who he is?" She looked at him, waiting for him to tell her. "His guardian, the one he mentioned who took him in after his parents were killed? His guardian is Bruce Wayne."
"'Wayne Enterprises' Bruce Wayne?"
"Bruce Wayne, the richest man in the country and maybe the world, my boss."
"And that boy is his—what's the word?"
"Richard is his legal ward. That's almost like being his legal son. In every practical sense of the word, Wayne is the kid's father."
"Isn't that unusual, a single man raising a boy like that? Even I've heard the rumors about them, I just didn't realize that this was the same child all the innuendo is about."
He shrugged slightly. "As far as I know it's just that; rumor. Richard said his parents were killed, Wayne was orphaned young—that could explain it right there. He may have just felt sorry for him."
"And our daughter seems to have developed a crush on him."
"He did seem like a nice kid. Well, at least she has good taste." John smiled, amused. "Of course if they break up or have a fight it could mean my job. After the last time..."
"Now you know that wasn't all her fault. That boy led her on something awful. He wasn't anything like this Richard we met tonight. This one is different, anyone can see that."
"Let's hope so."
They went back to the TV and book for a few minutes. "What do you know about Richard himself? How did he end up with Wayne? Were the parents friends or did they work for him or something?"
John shrugged. "I'll see what I can find out. He seemed alright tonight, but he's still young and some of these rich kids think they can do anything they want. If he's going to be spending time with Laura, I want to make sure that he's not a spoiled brat."
Upstairs Laura hung up from telling Melanie about her new school and the cute guy she was assigned to work with, then dialed Dick's number. He answered on the third ring.
"Hello? Richard? It's Laura; I just wanted to make sure you're coming tomorrow. I really want to do well on this project. I'd like to impress the teacher, you know?"
"Yeah, sure, I'll be there—you know, most people call me 'Dick'. 'Richard' sounds like you're my mother and you're mad at me."
"I like it better than 'Dick'...is it alright if I call you Richard? It seems more like you, more mature and, I don't know, more classy or something."
"Well, if you put it that way..."
"I'll see you tomorrow...Richard." They hung up and Dick saw Alfred standing by the kitchen counter. Dick had been looking for something more to eat when Laura called.
"Hey, Alfred. Good exhibit?"
"Quite inspiring, thank you. Who was on the phone just now?" He put the kettle on. A cup of something herbal would be soothing before bed.
Dick finished the cheese he'd been slicing off. "A girl from school asking about an assignment we're doing together. Can you give me a ride over to her house tomorrow around ten? We wanted to get it done."
"That can be arranged, I should think." He got out the lemon tea he liked. "Whom is the young lady you'll be working with?"
"...Just a girl. I'm going to turn in, Alf. G'night." Alfred caught his blush as the boy left the room. Evidently she was more than 'just a girl'.
"Sleep well, Master Dick." He watched the tea steep. This was something new, a young lady calling the house and Dick's reaction suggested he was considering her as potentially more than just a study partner who had called him about something or other. A young lady calling a young man, indeed. Things were done differently in his day, but then it was no longer his day and he would do well to keep that in mind.
Ten sharp the next morning Dick rang the doorbell and was let in. Laura's parents were out back doing yard work. The two kids went up to her bedroom, spending a couple of hours finishing the project to their mutual satisfaction. They were getting along as well as they had the night before and Dick was starting to think he may have lucked out about the whole thing—she was pretty, smart and seemed to be a hard worker, plus she seemed to like him. This was starting to look like a pretty good year.
John Woodward offered him a ride home, saying he was going out to do some errands anyway. Laura came along and the three of them stopped for lunch at a local diner on the way—John concerned that it would be a comedown or an insult to Dick, considering what he was probably used to. He was put at ease as they slid into the booth, the kids next to one another as Dick commented that Paul's Diner was his favorite place to eat since he'd moved to the area. In fact, this was a treat since he almost never got to come. They ordered their burgers and made small talk while they waited for their food.
Dick knew what was going on. He saw the sycophancy starting and he knew that John Woodward had figured out whom he lived with. He'd been around this block before and decided to jump in with both feet. "Do you like working at Wayne Corp?"
John hadn't expected that. "How did you know where I work, Richard?"
"I saw the look you gave me when we were introduced at dinner last night and realized you recognized my name. Around here a lot of people are on Bruce's payroll." He gave a slight shrug. "It happens sometimes." He smiled. "Besides, I saw the company parking permit on your windshield."
Dick had also used Bruce's password to look at the man's personnel file last the night before, but didn't mention it.
That wasn't what he'd expected from a fifteen-year-old kid. "Well, I just started two weeks ago, but so far I like it very much."
Dick smiled a little. Of course he had to say that. "Good, Bruce wants people to be happy there. I think Bruce wants me to end up working there eventually, too."
"Would you like that?"
"I don't know. Maybe. I'm not sure that business is really my thing."
"No reason to decide that sort of thing yet. Have you any idea what you may like to do?"
"Not really. Maybe go into my parents' business...I don't know. I haven't decided on anything. I figure I have time. Have you met Bruce yet?"
"...Not yet." He was just another lawyer in the department; he'd probably never meet the man.
The waitress brought their food, handing out the burgers and Cokes and things. The conversation turned general. John was watching Richard and realized that the kid was watching both him and Laura as well. It wasn't anything obvious, but it was clear that there wasn't much that was getting past him and he wondered if he'd be filling in Wayne about the new employee over dinner later. It was a little disconcerting, and he wondered if the kid had resources to do more digging into his resume than what was written on the page. It would be awkward if Wayne found out why he'd been job hunting.
When Dick was driven home he directed them through the main entrance, operating the security pad to open the gates and mentally sighing at the expressions the other two tried to hide when they got to the Manor. It was a bit much when you came down to it. The place looked like a museum or a library or something—maybe a big hotel. It wasn't what most people thought of when they pictured a homey place to hang out.
"This is quite a place, Richard." John knew that the rich lived differently than the rest of the world, he just hadn't realized how differently.
"It's okay." He was a little too dismissive, but what the hell. "Why don't you come in and meet Bruce? I think he said he would be around this afternoon."
"...I wouldn't want to impose."
"It's not a problem. Come on."
Trapped and knowing it could be to his advantage to meet the boss, John turned off the ignition. Inside he and Laura tried to be nonchalant about the obvious antiques and wealth at every turn as they followed Richard into what seemed to be a library or study, though one four or five times the size of his own.
"Bruce? You busy?" The man was sitting at his desk, writing checks. "This is John Woodward and his daughter, Laura. He just started in your legal department and Laura is in some of my classes at school. We were just finishing a project this morning."
"I was wondering where you were today. John, good to meet you—in fact if you have a minute I'd like to go over a couple of things." He stood up, holding out his hand and shaking John's outstretched one, ignoring the deer in the headlights expression on the other man. He was as used to it as Dick was. Bruce was, after all, Bruce Wayne. They exchanged the pleasantries and Wayne started asking legal questions about some buyout that was in the works, which, thank God, John had just been reviewing and was conversant on. It seemed that it would be a while and Dick offered to show Laura around. The two youngsters started the tour while the men talked business.
Since it was too nice a day to be inside, they strolled outside, seeing the pool, the stables, about two miles of paths through the estate and Alfred's rose garden, which was still in bloom. Laura exclaimed at the flowers, seeming to like them best of everything she'd seen.
On impulse, Dick used a pocketknife to cut off long a stemmed Princess Elizabeth and handed it to her. She thanked him—equally on impulse—with a quick kiss which caused them to smile in both pleasure and embarrassment.
They heard John calling them from the house and turned to go, meeting him at the car. "I guess I'll see you in school."
"I guess."
Neither father missed the exchange or the look between the kids. Judging from the expressions on their faces, they seemed to have the beginnings of a teenaged romance on their hands.
TBC
18
