Title: My Richard. Part Nine

Author: Simon

Characters: Dick/OC

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Dick leaves Hudson

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 Nine Hudson University, Just after Thanksgiving Break

"Oh, for Christ's sake, of course she did it. You don't think it was faulty wiring, do you?"

"Dick, calm down, c'mon. It could have been some kind of accident. You don't actually know it was her. She claims that she wasn't even in town then and there are witnesses to confirm she was at the airport almost two hours before the fire was discovered."

"And I could get witnesses to confirm I was at Lincoln's assassination."

"There is no need for sarcasm, Boy Wonder...Look, have you talked to the local cops?"

"Robin spoke to them last night. They said that there were no suspects; no indication of arson and the house was old. They also think one of the students had an illegal hot plate which could have caused the fire to start."

"And you don't believe them? Jesus, you're starting to sound paranoid, y'know."

"Bite me, Roy."

"Yeah, nice to talk to you, too. Was anyone hurt?"

"No. Everyone had either left for the break already or was in class. Oh—I think Ann's cat was killed."

"I'm over it. So, have you heard from the wackjob since it happened?"

"There was a letter for me on the bulletin board when I stopped into the office. It was just more of the same."

Dick was on a secure phone he had hidden just in case. He had to tell someone what was going on and after going through his various acquaintances he ended up calling the Titan's. Roy, fortunately or otherwise, had picked up the phone. Whatever, he needed to vent and Roy would do.

Up until now they hadn't known anymore than anyone else about the problems Dick had been having for a couple of years with Laura. He hadn't told them any more than he'd told anyone else, with the exception of Leslie and even with her he held a lot back.

They had all worked together since they were twelve years old and he hadn't said anything after that day at the Manor almost three years before, the day they had all been swimming together in the indoor pool; the day Laura had stared daggers at Donna and the Titan's all pretty much agreed that Laura was a bitch and that Dick could do better. He hadn't liked their attitude about his girlfriend and he was annoyed when they made snap decisions about her. It was rude and uncalled for and they could have understood how difficult it was for Laura to try to deal with a group of people as tight as the original Titans were. It was like trying to start a conversation with some high school clique and they tested her and—as they say—found her wanting.

Well, it turned out they were right—but he didn't know it back then.

"And this crap has been going on for a couple of years now and you're just now picking up the phone? You lose the number, did you?"

"Don't even go there."

"I'll get the others, we'll be there in a couple of hours."

"No...It's not necessary. I'll handle it myself."

"Spoken like a true disciple of the Bat."

"Just...stop. I'll take care of this."

"Okay, so what are you going to do? Find evidence linking her with the fire? Tail her? Leave town?"

"I have to finish a couple more weeks of classes then take finals. That should take me to somewhere around December twenty-first. After that I'm leaving school and going back to the Manor."

"So, what happens when you go back for the next semester? How are you going to stop her from bothering you then? And if she burned down your boarding house, how are you going to stop her from bombing your next dorm or something?"

Dick was getting seriously annoyed with Harper; the man wouldn't listen if you tied earphones over his deaf ears. "I just told you, I'm leaving school. Ending my academic career, dropping out. I'm going back to the manor."

"You're quitting? You? To do what? Polish silver with Alfred? And Bruce is okay with this? You still have your balls, do you?"

"Screw you, Roy. My night job takes time, y'know? Besides, the Manor is secure. She can't get in without us knowing she's there and I'll have the resources to stop her, do whatever I have to so that she leaves me alone."

There were a couple of moments of silence while neither of them made any of the obvious comments they could have. Finally, "Look, Rob, if you need anything, you know we're here, right? You know I'll do whatever I can to help you with this—so will the others. You know that, don't you?"

"...Yeah, I know. I'm alright, though. I'm just going to finish up here and go back to Gotham." There was another pause. "Roy? Thanks."

"It's okay, Rob. You sure you're going to be alright? You don't want us to drop in or anything?"

"No, I'm good. I just wanted to touch base, I guess."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. I'll catch you later, okay? Hey, and Roy? Don't mention to this to the others, will you? I'd rather they didn't get involved in this."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a personal problem, it's nothing official or anything. It's just something I'll take care of myself so keep it quiet."

'Keep it quiet', that was so frigging Bat of him. He'd do it for Dick. It was stupid, but if that was what Dick wanted, well, Dick was Dick. You just did what he asked because it was him doing the asking. It was a given. "If that's what you want, sure."

He kept his word. It was what Dick wanted and so that was what he did.

Pretty much.

About ten the next evening Laura was just walking into her friend, Becca's, dorm room after seeing a campus movie. Becca was hanging out with some friends' two floors down but Laura just wasn't in the mood. They were really nice and all, but she was just in the mood to have some quiet time of her own. She'd been staying with Becca and so far everyone had been so incredibly nice to her that she was thinking about applying to the school and enrolling. That would be fun—she and Richard could get a place together or maybe they could both live in his room and...well, it would be just perfect. She loved being on the Hudson campus, it was so pretty and there were so many things to do, even if Richard was still in one of his cranky moods and wouldn't return her calls or answer her letters.

It wasn't like it was her fault that the stupid old house he was living in had burned down last week. It wasn't like she'd thrown a Molotov cocktail into the place or anything like that.

God, all she'd done was try to do something nice for him. He'd be coming back after his last class, get his stuff and then leave for the airport. That was the usual plan. Everyone told her that was what everyone did.

She was going to just be there waiting for him. She'd planned everything, it would have been so perfect, but then he ruined all her plans because he had just taken a cab straight from his last class and hadn't stopped back at his room. That wasn't her fault, was it? It wasn't like she could have predicted it or anything.

She'd been waiting in his room for him. The old lady who ran the place was really nice about opening his door for her after Laura had told the woman that she was his girlfriend and they were going to catch a plane home together. Richard had asked her to meet him there, but had forgotten that his door was locked. She opened it for her and Laura had gone in.

She started looking around.

It was a medium sized room, maybe a quarter the size of his room back at the Manor and he had the usual cheap student furnishings all students lived with and Laura was annoyed about that.

Her Richard shouldn't have to put up with that sort of thing. He should have the best—he should have silk curtains and a thick rug and the best of, well, the best of everything. And he shouldn't have just that little narrow bed. That would never do—well, any bed with Richard in it was perfect, but he should have a big bed, a comfortable one, not this stupid thing.

The only things that weren't the bare minimum were the sound system and a really nice looking computer sitting on his desk. Everything else was just standard used and beat up student furniture.

There were a couple of framed photos on the bureau she hadn't seen before, one of Bruce actually smiling and another of Alfred in the kitchen and another of an old man who looked like he could have been a relative of Richard's. That was probably the grandfather he talked about sometimes. And there was another snap, just stuck in the frame of the mirror. It was of Richard and some blondish girl. She was smiling at the camera and Richard had his arms around her from the back and was kissing her cheek, but his eyes were opened and he was smiling while he was kissing her.

That pig.

That damn pig. Two-timing her again after everything they'd been to each other. And with that cow.

She'd come to his room to surprise him, to make him happy and this is the way he thanks her? Two-timing her? Pawing that slut?

She'd just walked in to surprise him with something nice and then...well, it had been an accident. She was still looking around when she saw the present she'd gotten for him, the one she'd spent two weeks of her paycheck on and here it was, just tossed over the back of a chair with some other old clothes, just like it didn't mean anything.

It even still had the tags on it and he hadn't even tried it on. It was still sort of folded from the box.

God, it had been so perfect and he hadn't even tried it on, he'd just tossed it...

Wait.

Maybe he was waiting until she was there to see how perfect it looked on him. Maybe that was why it was still just sitting here—and he wouldn't have taken it back to the Manor because it was too special, too private between just the two of them. That was it. Of course.

He was going to invite her over after Thanksgiving to show her how wonderful it looked on him. They would look at it and she would be able to feel how sexy he was in it and then she'd help him take it off and she'd hang it up so it didn't get wrinkled or anything, and then they'd end up in that silly little bed and...it would be perfect.

She was imagining how it would be and before she knew it she had taken out the things she'd brought with her and arranged it all. There was the bottle of wine and the cheese and crackers and the scented candles—rose scented like that afternoon they'd first taken a walk at the Manor, when he'd picked that rose for her from Alfred's garden.

She lit the thing and settled back on the bed to wait. Maybe Richard would stop back here, after all. Maybe he'd forgotten something. The room was warm and she hadn't slept well the night before, planning her surprise for Richard. In less than half an hour she'd fallen asleep.

Three hours later she opened her eyes, saw the time and realized that Richard's plane had left an hour ago. She'd missed him.

She saw a notebook sitting on the desk, just a regular spiral bound notebook, and the kind anyone would have. On impulse she opened it up and, taking a pen sitting next to it, began writing.

My Richard,

I'm lying here on your bed and wishing that the door would open and you'd walk in, see me and not say a single word.

You'd smile and take off your jacket and come over and kiss me then you'd join me right here and we'd kiss and make love and maybe even miss the plane home for Thanksgiving because we were having such a good time and we wouldn't want to ever leave this room.

We'd just stay here for the whole weekend and order takeout to be delivered and the landlady would be scandalized because we'd never come out of this room...

I know you're pretending to date that other girl, just like you pretended to date Blair when you were still back in high school. I know you're doing it so that no one will know that you're still in love with me.

That's alright. I know what you're doing and I understand.

I can wait. I can wait forever for you.

I love you so much.

Laura.

Standing up, she tore out the note, folded it and put her coat back on. The candle was almost burned down, she could leave it and Richard would find it when he got back and would know she was there. It would be like a secret signal or something. And she knew it would make him smile. She'd tack the note to the board outside his first class on Monday. He'd get it there. It was a common way to pass messages on campus. She didn't notice she brushed the curtain, which was pulled into the candle flame.

The curtain ignited as she pulled the door closed behind her.

When Dick walked back to the dorm room he had been assigned to for the tail end of the semester—being Bruce Wayne's son had it's advantages since officially all the dorms were full—he saw the carton on the bed.

"That came for you about an hour ago." His roommate was benign and avoidable. They got along fine without much contact and largely ignored each other.

He opened it to find a care package of things he'd lost in the fire. There was a plastic bag filled with basic toiletries and a pile of clothing items, underwear and socks, tee shirts, the brand of jeans he liked in his correct size. There were a couple of good quality cashmere sweaters and about a dozen shirts of various types—button down to Henley.

The note on top was written on pink paper.

My Richard.

I was so completely upset when I heard what happened to your house. I know that you can replace anything you want, but I know how busy you are and how much you hate to shop, so I thought that you could use this stuff. The sweaters are the only splurge, everything else is pretty normal, but you look perfect in anything.

Please don't be mad. I love you.

Laura

Dick was about to just toss the contents of the box away when reason took over and he addressed his roommate. "You want any of this?" He knew the guy was on a scholarship and didn't have any money. He was one of those starving students whose idea of a wild impulse purchase was a pizza.

"What have you got?"

Dick slid the box across the floor.

"You sure? I thought you lost all your things in that fire and this is nice stuff."

"Take it." He thought that sounded too curt or spoiled or something. "I had insurance. My things were replaced in a few days. I really don't need this; it's fine. Besides, we're about the same size, you might as well use it."

"But won't your parents be pissed? This must have cost a lot."

"Jim—just take the fucking box, will you? I don't want it."

"Leave him alone."

There was a note on Becca's desk, along with an arrow. It was bizarre and if Laura had thought it was a real threat she would have been frightened, but she saw it for the stupid joke it was and threw it out.

Dick finished his classes and his finals. His grades were good and he made the Dean's List for the first semester. On his last day, just as he was about to leave Hudson for Christmas break, he stopped in at the Admissions office to tell them that he was withdrawing from the university for personal reasons. No, thank you, he didn't want a leave of absence, he just wanted to withdraw. He wouldn't be back for the winter semester. If he changed his mind, he would reapply. The paperwork was started and would be finished in a few weeks. The tuition refund could be sent to Bruce Wayne at the address listed in his file.

He left Hudson without looking back, not noticing Laura standing behind a large oak tree as he got into the cab for the airport.

My Richard,

I spent Christmas with my parents and we had the best time ever. We were out in Aspen like we usually are and my brother had his girlfriend with him which was nice but that made me sad because you weren't with me. They were always hugging and kissing and they seemed really happy, but I guess I was kind of lonely without you.

Were you skiing this year again? I know how good you are at it. I think it would be fun to take our kids skiing, don't you? We would be like those parents you see with the real little kids learning how to balance between their parents' skis. You know the ones, the kids who can out ski anyone on the hill by the time they're like seven. That would be our kids, wouldn't it? What fun!

Maybe we could ski in Austria or France or someplace on our honeymoon. Would you like that?

I got back from the Christmas break and I wanted to really surprise you when I told you that I applied and got accepted at Hudson! I was so incredibly excited!

I thought we could get a place together and walk to classes and eat lunch at the grill and watch movies together and have friends over and all kinds of fun things.

I though you'd be so happy but then I got here and I looked and looked for you but you weren't anywhere and finally I went to the Business school and asked and they told me that you'd withdrawn from the school.

At first I just thought they meant that you'd just changed your major or something like that but they said, no, you'd left the school.

Then I went to the Admissions office and they told me that they hadn't sent your transcript anywhere, so you hadn't transferred to another school or anything, either.

You just left—I couldn't believe it! How could you do that? You knew that I was there and I told you that I was going to apply to the school so we could be together. I told you that!

And you just left.

Well, you're probably back at the Manor so that's where I'm sending this. I guess you'll probably just get a job with Daddy Bruce and have a nice cushy life.

Oh, and I know that you gave away the clothes and things I sent you. I saw that stupid guy, that stupid roommate wearing some of the things and I went up to him and yelled at him in the library about how he was a thief because he took your stuff but he said you'd given them to him.

You don't care at all that I spent all my money on that and I worked a long time to get that money. You don't care because you're rich and you get everything handed to you because you're this pathetic orphan who everybody has to feel sorry for.

Well, poor you.

You ended up with like the richest man in the whole world and I know what you do to pay him back. I sure do. You think I haven't heard all the rumors? Well, I have and I think that they're true.

I think you left school because you missed your sugar daddy and I think that you were mean to me because you don't like girls.

Well, the hell with you. I've had enough of you and that old pervert guy you've gone running home to.

This is the last you'll be hearing from me, you bastard.

TBC

17